What is visceral fat?

Why visceral fat matters

Everyone has some visceral fat, and a little cushions your organs.

Too much is linked to a higher risk of:

• heart disease
• type 2 diabetes
• high cholesterol
• fatty liver

You can't see it directly, but a growing waistline is a good clue, even when your weight on the scale looks fine.

That's why keeping an eye on your waist, not just your weight, is useful at every stage of life, including through your 40s, 50s and beyond.

What helps with visceral fat

The encouraging part is that visceral fat usually responds to steady habits, and is often easier to lose than the fat under your skin.

Cut back on:

• sugary foods
• fried snacks
• refined carbohydrates like maida

Habits that help:

• Build meals around vegetables, dals, whole grains and good fats.
• Aim for about 30 minutes of activity most days, mixing walking with strength exercises.
• Sleep well and find ways to manage stress, since the stress hormone cortisol encourages fat storage around the middle.
• Limit alcohol.

Is visceral fat on a report?

Visceral fat isn't on a routine blood report.

Cleveland Clinic says these signal higher risk:

• a waist of 35 inches or more for women (40 for men)
• a waist-to-hip ratio above 0.85 for women (0.90 for men)

For Indians, the Indian consensus guidelines (2009) draw the waist line lower, at 80 cm for women and 90 cm for men. Some body-composition scans also estimate it.