FAQ on Belly Fat.

A Recent Interview on Belly Fat with Jade Teta ND CSCS

Questioner: Why is that tire around the middle so common?

Jade: Many people think this is simply an issue of too many calories or not enough exercise. It is not, it is a matter of hormones. Standard American dietary practices, improper exercise, and stressful lifestyles all create an unfavorable hormone response that alters the balance between fat storage and fat burning. The 70% carbohydrate diet, rich in starchy foods like breads, pasta, and potatoes is a huge part of the problem leading to the production of insulin which is known to both increase fat storage and decrease fat burning. This along with a stressful lifestyle elevates cortisol as well. This hormone acts to decrease muscle mass and specifically create fat storage around the middle. The unfortunate thing is that aerobic exercise is usually the first thing people think of to reduce belly fat. Unfortunately, it is not nearly as effective as resistance training at correcting the issue. To combat belly fat other hormones are needed to both stimulate fat burning and block the action of cortisol at the belly. The two most effective hormones in this regard are testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH). The lifestyle factors leading to increases in these hormones are exactly opposite of what most people consider healthy. Drastically reducing starchy carbohydrates while increasing vegetable and protein consumption is the first and one of the best strategies. High blood sugar levels induced by the standard American diet suppresses HGH release and protein elevates a major fat burning hormone called glucagon that opposes the fat storing action of insulin. When weight training is added, testosterone and HGH are released in high quantities and are able to increase fat burning globally and specifically block cortisol action at the belly.

Questioner: What are the most common causes of belly fat?

Jade: There are several major causes of belly fat: increased insulin, increased cortisol, a high estrogen to progesterone ratio and decreased levels of the fat burning hormones testosterone and HGH. When the hormonal situation in the body is unbalanced, fat will be stored instead of burned. However the hormonal balance of an individual will determine where on the body that fat tends to accumulate. This phenomenon can easily be seen in the differences among the genders. Young women tend to have thin waists and bigger hips, thighs, and breasts. This is largely a function of the sex steroids and hormone receptor density differences between men and women. Men on the other hand tend to be leaner in the legs and arms and hold more fat in the stomach. Progesterone in women and testosterone in men may be a major factor on whether fat is stored in the body as they both act to oppose the action of cortisol at the belly. While cortisol should not be seen as a bad hormone, when it is unopposed by these other hormones, it can cause fat build up around the middle.

Questioner: What are some lesser known causes of belly fat that I should be aware of?

Jade: Anything that affects hormones can affect fat distribution including belly fat. Sleep, stress, and caffeine intake can all have negative effects on fat storage around the belly. Obviously these affects have nothing to do with calories. The reason they present a challenge is because they all have the potential to alter the cortisol and testosterone/HGH ratio. The more cortisol relative to these other hormones the greater the potential to increase belly fat. Sleep is important. People who sleep for less than 8 hours a night have higher levels of cortisol in the morning. Interestingly, the time you go to bed also palys a role. Research has shown those who sleep 8 hours a night but who go to bed later have higher levels of resting cortisol in the morning. Sleep is also one of the major stimulants for HGH. Caffeine can have a dramatic impact on stress hormone production as well releasing cortisol and adrenaline, which can have an impact on belly fat. And stress is one of the best ways to lower testosterone and growth hormone yet increase cortisol. Taken together, these three influences are a huge hidden source of belly fat.

Questioner: What are the dangers of belly fat? Can it cause health problems?

Jade: There is no question that increased belly fat is a considerable disease risk factor for all the major killers including heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. However, the belly fat may not be the cause of the problem but rather a symptom of deeper metabolic issues. In research presented in the July 16^th 2007 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) the belly fat phenomenon was preceded by changes in muscle fuel storage. As muscle becomes resistant to the action of the hormone insulin, the body has a difficult time disposing of extra carbohydrate leading to excessive fat storage first in the liver and then in the belly. It appears that by the time the belly fat appears there is already significant underlying derangement in the body's muscle tissue creating a greater risk to diseases of chronic aging. So changing the muscle sensitivity to insulin is the primary mechanism that can help. Sit-ups and aerobics are not as effective as weight lifting workouts involving the whole body.

Questioner: Does excessive belly fat signal a medical problem in and of itself?

Jade: Yes, belly fat is one of the major signs of what medicine terms the Metabolic Syndrome. This is a disorder characterized by high cholesterol, high blood pressure, increased blood fat, and low levels of good cholesterol (HDL). The underlying mechanism is associated with insulin levels and the body's development of resistance to it. Hormone resistance is a concept that is very important to understand. It is much like walking into a room with a strong smell. When you first go into the room you will be acutely aware of the smell and attempt to cover your nose, but in time the smell will become less noticeable and possibly diminish completely. This is what happens in the body when insulin levels are consistently elevated. When the body loses the ability to sense insulin, fat storage progresses unimpeded and tends to accumulate around the middle. Insulin resistance is the precursor to type II diabetes and can be drastically improved through diet and exercise.

Questioner: What are some myths about belly fat?

Jade: One popular myth is that belly fat is caused exclusively by the hormone cortisol. This has led many people to be fooled into buying cortisol blocking supplements. While cortisol does play a role, it is important to realize that hormones act together and behave differently in different situations. When cortisol is elevated along with insulin it drastically enhances fat storage at the belly, but when cortisol is elevated with testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH), you will not see the same effect. In fact, HGH and testosterone are able to block the action of cortisol at the belly and the three hormones together act as a potent fat burning stimulus that is greater than if cortisol was not present. In other words, cortisol is a fat burner or a fat storer depending on the other hormones it is "socializing" with.

Questioner: Does doing sit ups get rid of belly fat?

Jade: Doing sit-ups to burn belly fat is like trying to change your tire with a pencil. No, doing situps is the worst way to get rid of belly fat. There are two elements related to ridding the body of belly fat, reducing calories and changing the hormones in the body to assure the calories you burn are fat. Correcting the insulin resistance and excess cortisol levels that are at the heart of fat storage at the belly reverse the underlying biochemical mechanisms responsible. To do this, weight training is most useful because it is most effective at restoring the insulin sensitivity to the muscle. Research in Volume 28 of the journal Diabetologia in 2005 showed that weight training was able to significantly enhance fat break down at the belly in obese men. A similar study published in volume 120 of the Journal of Applied Physiology showed similar effects. Probes were inserted into study participants subcutaneous (fat just under the skin) belly fat and monitored during resistance exercise. The probes were left in place for 45 minutes after the exercise session was over. Fat burning at the belly was accelerated during the exercise session and stayed elevated for 40 minutes after the workout had stopped. These effects have not been seen with standard abdominal exercises like crunches or traditional aerobics.

Questioner: What other types of exercises will help me get rid of belly fat?

Jade: Any exercise that creates an optimal caloric burn and addresses the underlying hormonal issues associated with belly fat storage. Most people are overly enamored by aerobic exercise. In reality this is a very inefficient form of exercise for loss of belly fat. While it does burn calories, it does not create an optimal hormonal response. You want to do exercise that will not only burn fat during the activity, but also burn fat after. This after-burn effect is called EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), and is also known as oxygen debt. When exercise is of sufficient intensity it will create a metabolic "ripple" effect that last for long after the workout. Interval training that alternates periods of vigourous exercise with periods of very light exercise has been shown to deliver a large caloric burn and generate a substantial EPOC while minimizing time in the gym. This can easily be accomplished on any piece of cardio equipment. Go as fast and as hard as you are able for 1 minute, then rest by moving slowly for 1 to 2 minutes. Heavy resistance training done in circuits is also useful in generating the after-burn. A study in the Journal of Applied Physiology in by Shuenke, et. al. in 2002 showed resistance exercise using heavy weights in a circuit fashion was able to elevate fat burning metabolism for 48 hours after the workout was over. Finally, sprint exercise is the king of abdominal development. It combines a forceful and continuous contraction of the midsection along with a significant after-burn creating the best of both worlds; abdominal development with significant fat burning.

Questioner: Do some foods help get rid of belly fat? I've heard almonds and avocados help.

Jade: Foods that alter the metabolic messengers can be a significant aid in loss of belly fat. Most people view food simply in terms of calories, but food is better thought of as chemical information that directs the body how to use and store its fat. Different ratios of macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates, and fats can dramatically affect fat loss. Low fat diets rich in protein, high in fiber and low in sugar and starch elevate glucagon (fat burning) and suppress insulin (fat storing). In addition, there are certain foods that can have a significant effect on fat burning because of their effects on genetic expression. Fish oil is one such food that is able to alter the function of gene regulation towards fat burning.

Questioner: What about those fat burning pills? Do those help?

Jade: Fat burning supplements can have a marginal effect when combined with diet and exercise. Most studies show that things like CLA, chromium, green tea extracts, and other so called "fat burners" can add a 2 pound fat loss advantage over an 8 week period when diet and exercise are correct. However, very few of these compounds show any affect when diet and exercise are not tightly controlled. Supplements should be looked at as just that, supplements, and not used as the sole strategy for fat loss.

Questioner: What are the biggest mistakes people make when they are trying to lose belly fat?

Jade: The biggest mistake is what I call the calorie/aerobic model. The fastest way to strip your body of muscle and damage the metabolism over the long run is low calorie diets combined with hours of aerobic exercise. These strategies burn fat, but they also burn muscle and alter the hormonal metabolism towards excess cortisol. This is why sprinters have less body fat and tighter midsections compared to marathon runners. While both athletes are lean, long distances runners tend to be gaunt and wiry with less visible abdominal musculature then their sprint trained counterparts. Bodybuilders too, not the drug enhanced guys, but the natural athletes, also have extremely lean midsections. Surprisingly these athletes eat more meals not less and engage in mostly resistance training not aerobics.

Questioner: What are your top 5 tips for losing belly fat, in quick sentences?

Jade: First, lift weights to increase testosterone and HGH. Next, increase lean protein especially whey protein to increase fat burning. Three, reduce sugar, grain, and starch intake to decrease insulin. Fourth, get adequate sleep to reduce cortisol and increase HGH. Last, include fish oil and CLA to turn on fat burning genes targeted at the stomach.