{"id":83049,"date":"2025-07-22T11:27:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T11:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/83049\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T11:27:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T11:27:08","slug":"university-of-michigan-study-reveals-why-belly-fat-might-be-more-dangerous-than-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/83049\/","title":{"rendered":"University of Michigan study reveals why belly fat might be more dangerous than you think"},"content":{"rendered":"

ANN ARBOR, Mich.<\/strong> \u2013 Belly fat is a common problem for many people, but a certain kind of belly fat could be raising your risk of serious health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even cancer.<\/p>\n

Experts say it\u2019s worth the effort to lose that deeper fat for a healthier, longer life.<\/p>\n

This type of dangerous fat, known as visceral fat, surrounds vital organs and triggers inflammation, thereby increasing the risk of major chronic diseases.<\/p>\n

Registered dietitian Julia Zumpano explains the difference between subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. <\/p>\n

\u201cSubcutaneous fat is the fat just beneath the skin \u2014 the fat you can pinch,\u201d said Zumpano. \u201cThe more dangerous visceral fat is buried deep within the abdomen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Increasing your activity level is key to reducing visceral fat.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we\u2019re sitting at a desk all day and only doing 30 minutes of exercise, even if it\u2019s every day, it\u2019s still really not enough for most people,\u201d Zumpano said.<\/p>\n

A University of Michigan<\/b><\/a> study found that even without weight loss, exercising can make fat healthier. <\/p>\n

People who exercised regularly had less inflammation in their fat tissue. <\/p>\n

Their subcutaneous fat was better at storing extra fat, preventing it from becoming the more dangerous visceral fat.<\/p>\n

To start, Zumpano recommends working more movement into your daily life \u2014 using a walking desk, taking breaks to walk, doing squats, or wearing a weighted vest.<\/p>\n

Improving your diet also helps. <\/p>\n

Belly fat can increase with the consumption of artificial and sugary foods. <\/p>\n

Experts suggest steering clear of sweets and focusing on whole foods, such as lean protein, fresh fruits, and vegetables.<\/p>\n

Plant-based and Mediterranean diets have been shown to reduce inflammation and visceral fat.<\/p>\n

Experts also suggest that getting enough sleep and reducing stress can help decrease visceral fat. Meditation or yoga can help bring stress hormones under control.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ANN ARBOR, Mich. \u2013 Belly fat is a common problem for many people, but a certain kind of…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":83050,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[18940,210,7800,67,132,11285,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-83049","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-ann-arbor","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-michigan-wolverines","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-university-of-michigan","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114896650014163949","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83049"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83049\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}