What Are The Different Types of Belly Fat?

To be clear, having some body fat is perfectly normal. However, according to medical experts, there are some types of belly fat that could lead to more serious health concerns, and put you at risk for developing specific chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.

Body fat distribution can be variable in an obese person, says minimally invasive and bariatric surgeon Dr Randal Zhou. He explains that no matter the fat distribution in your body, “obesity that centralises in the abdomen increases the risk of development of insulin resistance, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease more so than other regions of the body.”

We know that belly fat can be a sensitive subject for some people, which is why we spoke to medical professionals that shared not what we need to look like, but what we need to look for to keep an eye on your health and prevent alarming consequences.

What are the different types of belly fat?

Subcutaneous fat

Subcutaneous means under the skin, says bariatric surgeon Dr Mir Ali. “Subcutaneous fat is the fat deposited between the skin and the muscle and it’s all over the body, anywhere you have skin.”

Unlike the fat that’s found deeper in the abdominal cavity, subcutaneous fat isn’t as strongly linked to increased disease risk. Primarily, subcutaneous fat functions as a padding to protect your muscles and bones from the impact of hits or falls. It also insulates your body, helping it regulate temperature.

Visceral fat

Visceral fat refers to just the fat covering the viscera, or your abdominal organs. “Visceral fat is not necessarily visible, it’s more in and around and surrounding the organs inside your belly,” says Dr Ali.

Visceral adipose tissue, or fat in the abdominal cavity, differs from subcutaneous adipose tissue that is in the abdominal wall, says Dr Zhou. “The visceral fat is more active metabolically with more dynamic cells, innervation, and hormonal receptors. This fat has direct blood vessels connecting to the liver and is active in glucose uptake [how our body uses sugar] from the bloodstream.”

How can excess belly fat affect your health?

While excess fat or weight are not necessarily direct causes for disease, Dr Ali says that any excess fat, subcutaneous or visceral, can be a correlating factor that adversely affects your health. However, he explains that “visceral fat in particular has been shown to have increased a person's risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and high cholesterol.”

The mechanism behind the health concerns for visceral fat is not entirely understood, but Dr Ali says that “it has something to do with the chronic inflammation and essentially affecting the blood flow to the organs.”

One of the most commonly used measurements of abdominal obesity is the Body Mass Index (BMI) or a ratio between height and weight, says Dr Zhou. But, as Dr Ali explains, it’s important to note that the BMI “doesn’t necessarily take into account the fat distribution,” and it doesn’t measure body fat or account for muscle. BMI is a problematic way to assess health, and it's better to confer with your doctor about whether you have visceral fat that could be affecting your organs.

What are some effective and safe ways to lose belly fat?

There’s no way to target just belly fat, says Dr Ali. “You can do sit ups and planks that strengthen the abdominal muscles, but it doesn’t necessarily target the fat in the belly.”

Essentially, diet and exercise is the answer to safely and effectively losing belly fat. What Dr Ali recommends to his weight loss patients is “reducing carbohydrate intake, sticking to protein and vegetables, and that sort of forces your body to burn more fat.”

He adds that aerobic exercise is great for burning kilojoules but resistance exercises, weights, help you build more muscle. "The more muscle you have, the more calories (kilojoules) your body burns naturally.”

Dr Zhou agrees, saying lifestyle changes remain the first intervention people should use to lose fat, such as limiting your kilojoule intake and increasing physical activity. The Australian Department of Health and Aged Care recommends that Australian adults between the ages of 18 to 64 do 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate exercise or 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous exercise on most days per week, or an equivalent combination of the two.

When should you see a doctor about belly fat?

If you have a chronic condition, such as diabetes, sleep apnea, or cardiac disease, it may be helpful to speak with your doctor about your weight, says Dr Zhou. Visceral fat may affect or worsen many conditions.

Dr Zhou explains that if or when lifestyle changes aren’t helping you lose the belly fat you want to shed, or if you are battling or being treated for any of the chronic conditions listed above, “some patients may seek professionally assisted weight loss to help combat these conditions…and some patients may talk to their doctors about weight loss surgery.”

Bariatric surgery remains the most effective long-term treatment of obesity and its co-morbidities, notes Dr Zhou. “There’s a growing body of evidence that shows that bariatric surgery can help patients decrease medication requirements, improve glycemic control, improve quality of life, and increase life expectancy.”

The bottom line is that certain kinds of belly fat may contribute to health problems, so it’s important to talk to your doctor about the ways you can improve your overall health—and with it, potentially reduce the weight around your midsection.