Belly Fat and Diabetes

Study’s show that abdominal obesity, belly fat, has a pivotal role in the onset of type II diabetes. In an almost circular relationship, belly fat interacts with the body’s liver to cause a reduction in the level of insulin removal from the blood. As people who are prone to store their excess fat in the belly continue to eat more and exercise less, the liver becomes surrounded in belly fat. The fat that surrounds the liver hampers the livers function to remove insulin, and the increased levels of insulin in the blood contribute to the onset of type II diabetes.

So intertwined is the relationship between belly fat and type II diabetes, that a new test is being developed to detect the ballooning growth of deep belly fat in hopes of earlier detection of type II diabetes. Researchers from the Beth Israel Medical centre have developed a blood test that measures increased levels of a protein called RBP4. RPB4 is an early and accurate indicator of how much deep belly fat a body has.

Storing fat in our body is not unusual as when we over eat our body converts excess food to fat and stores it. But people who tend to store fat in the belly have an additional concern beyond the traditional heart disease or stroke. People who store fat in their belly also face the possibility of diabetes because of the decreased liver function. Deep belly fat has been so tightly linked with the onset of type II diabetes that doctors are looking for new detection methods, like the RBP4 test, to find deep belly fat in patients who have no outward sign of obesity.

Studies are also showing that deep belly fat begins well before the outward appearance. Some people who have normal or close to normal body mass indexes are showing elevated levels of RBP4. This early detection of ballooning belly fat is encouraging to the medical community.

The link between type II diabetes and deep belly fat is pretty solid. But there is hope for people who have deep belly fat. Type II diabetes can be avoided if a few simple life style changes can be implemented. Because the fat that is stored in our belly originates in the same fashion as any other fat, people can combat deep belly fat with the same tools used in any fitness regime. Good diet and exercise are the most effective tools in combating belly fat and living a healthier life.