Is it because of stress?… The surprising reason why belly fat increases so easily

Weight gain is a problem, but the belly fat that is becoming more and more bulging is the biggest concern. Belly fat is something that you absolutely need to pay attention to for your health. The reason belly fat is a problem is because of the visceral fat that surrounds the organs deep in the abdomen.

Visceral fat releases chemicals that cause oxidative cell damage. This damages internal organs and blood vessels, increasing the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and dementia.

Belly fat is easy to gain, but it is really hard to lose. If you eat a little too much and don’t exercise enough, the first area to gain fat is the abdomen. In relation to this, based on data from American health and medical media outlet ‘WebMD’, we looked into the unexpected reason why belly fat easily increases.

“I’m so stressed”=Being stressed out means having high levels of the stress hormone cortisol. When cortisol levels rise, you seek out foods high in fat and sugar that make you feel good.

Cortisol also changes the body’s chemical makeup, which can reduce the amount of body fat consumed. This is why you need to find ways to manage stress, such as exercise or meditation.

“Either you are too sleep deprived or too sleepy.”=People who sleep less than 5 hours or more than 9 hours a day are associated with increased abdominal fat. This is because they still have the physiological characteristics of primitive humans who sleep when it gets dark and wake up when it gets light.

Living a life outside of the proper amount of sleep makes it difficult to maintain a normal body shape. When you don’t get enough sleep, your metabolism slows down to conserve energy and you tend to reach for foods you shouldn’t eat.

Since primitive humans did not have the conditions to eat regularly, they had the habit of eating when they could. Even today, humans still have this habit, and when they are in a situation where their energy is depleted due to lack of sleep, they tend to reach for high-calorie foods that are easy to gain weight.

It is still unclear why people who sleep too long gain weight. However, it is thought that there is a correlation in that long hours spent in bed mean less time spent being active.

“There are genetic factors”=Based on body fat, people’s body types can be largely divided into four types. An hourglass shape with a slender waist, a bottle shape with a lot of flesh in the lower body, an apple shape with a lot of flesh in the upper body, and a slim, round shape overall. These body types can change depending on how you manage them, but they are basically inherited genetically.

This means that from birth, it is determined to some extent where fat will be concentrated on the body. In other words, if you are born with an apple-shaped body type that accumulates fat more in the stomach area than other people, you need to make more effort to manage your belly fat. This is why it is difficult to manage belly fat with the same amount of exercise and diet as others.

“Hormonal levels have changed”=Even women with a voluptuous body type accumulate fat mainly in the buttocks and legs around menopause. This is because the metabolism slows down as the level of the female hormone estrogen decreases. That is why, around menopause, you need to increase the amount of strength training compared to before to build muscle and activate metabolism.

“I have polycystic ovary syndrome”=10-20% of women of childbearing age have polycystic ovary syndrome. Those with this syndrome have high levels of the male hormone testosterone and gain weight.

In particular, belly fat increases significantly. In general, men have more apple-shaped body types than women, and the reason for this is thought to be related to testosterone levels.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are also more likely to have an apple-shaped body because they have high levels of this hormone. If you have irregular periods, hair or acne on your body, and a protruding belly, you may suspect this syndrome.