Visceral fat

The visceral fat (from Latin viscera, the intestines ' ), also called intra-abdominal fat, which called for vertebrates in the free abdominal cavity embedded fat that the internal organs, especially the digestive system envelops. It is to some extent attributable to the structural fat and in contrast to the subcutaneous fatty tissue not directly visible, but this is well beyond a certain amount by increasing the volume of noticeable belly. This storage is used as an energy reserve during starvation.

Diagnosis

As a measure of visceral fat waist circumference serves. Measure him two fingers above the top edge of the iliac crest. In women there from a girth of 80 cm in men of 94 cm at an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke as well as diabetes mellitus type 2 from a waist circumference of 88 cm (women) or 102 cm ( men ) applies even when the risk is greatly increased. This is due to the high hormonal activity of the adipocytes in the adipose tissue, have an influence on hormones like adiposine, interleukin -6, leptin, plasminogen activator inhibitor -1, angiotensin, resistin, tumor necrosis factor alpha and adiponectin.

Causes and effects

Given today's over-supply of food in the developed countries and an increasing lack of exercise your body will store more visceral fat in malnutrition as a biologically meaningful is ( visceral obesity). This occurs particularly in overweight ( pre-obese ) or obese (obesity ) of the apple type, ie the male fat distribution type ( but also occurs in women), while increasing the pear type, the female fat distribution type, not the visceral, but the hip fat.

Some diseases or symptoms associated with obesity in conjunction, occur more frequently in association with visceral fat:

  • Heart attack
  • Hypertension
  • Stroke
  • Arteriosclerosis
  • Diabetes (84 percent of all diabetes cases were larger than 94 cm in men with waist circumference )
  • Increased triglycerides in the blood ( and other blood tests that may indicate increased risk of diabetes or at a greater risk for cardiovascular or vascular disease )
  • Metabolic syndrome ( a major risk factor for coronary heart disease CHD) is characterized by several factors, including visceral obesity is one
  • Thrombosis ( increased risk from the chronic inflammatory tissue disease which is internal abdominal fat)
  • Increased Alzheimer's risk (compared to the same old normal weight or overweight people with little or no visceral fat )
  • Increased cancer risk

The waist circumference as a measure of visceral fat is attributed as the body mass index and waist-to- hip ratio a better statistical accuracy in predicting the risk of disease.

Abdomen Classification of obesity Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 Body-Mass-Index
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