Fat, stress and heart disease

While obesity is a major risk factor for disease, where we store fat is the number one predictor of overall and long-term health. Fat storage is partly genetic, partly hormonal. The main areas where we tend to store the most fat are chest, hips, upper back, waist and/or belly.  Excessive fat tissue around the abdomen surrounds and congests your vital organs. This specific fat buildup puts you at high risk for heart attack, increased LDL cholesterol (the unhealthy type), stroke, insulin resistance, and other metabolic disturbances. In fact, abdominal fat is now recognized as an even greater risk for cardiovascular disease and Type II diabetes than overall body fat.

Visceral fat is different from other fat on the body for several reasons:

• It is stored deep in the abdominal cavity, surrounding the organs; other types of fat are stored below the skin;
• It responds to and produces hormones, including leptin (a neurotransmitter produced by fat cells that decreases appetite) and grehlin (the hormone that makes the stomach growl and increases appetite);
• It grows in response to insulin and cortisol. Abdominal fat cells have more cortisol receptors than other areas, causing them to respond more strongly to high levels of cortisol.

Cortisol is a stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It is released in higher quantities when the body is under stress, increasing the flow of glucose out of tissues and into the bloodstream as part of the fight or flight response. This is in turn raises insulin levels. When circulating insulin is consistently high – much like the boy who cried wolf so many times nobody paid attention to him - many cells stop responding to it leading to insulin resistance and inflammation in the arteries. Persistent stress causes cortisol to signal fat to be deposited in the abdominal area. High cortisol levels also affect blood sugar levels, affect sleep and memory, reduce bone density, and suppress immunity.

Signs of elevated cortisol include cravings for coffee, sugar, chocolate, and pasta or other high carbohydrate foods, cravings for alcohol, mindless eating or mindless snacking after dinner.

Cortisol can be measured by a saliva test. Levels are highest in the early morning and lowest around midnight. Take four samples throughout for the most accurate measure of adrenal function.

Measuring waist circumference is an easy way to identify visceral fat, the most powerful predictor of obesity-associated cardiovascular disease risk. Calculate your waist-to-hip ratio. Optimal for males is <1.0; females is <0.8

To reduce belly fat follow these guidelines:

• Manage stress – any type of stress will raise cortisol levels
• Reduce intake of high-glycemic foods, especially at night because cortisol raises insulin, but insulin also raises cortisol. Choose foods with a low glycemic index and include some protein and fibre at each meal.
• Support the adrenals with adaptogenic herbs and foods rich in B vitamins
• Avoid caffeine – caffeine raises cortisol levels. Just cutting back on caffeine can reduce belly fat.
• Exercise – exercise blocks the effects of cortisol by using the glucose circulating in the bloodstream and releasing endorphins.
• Sleep – even losing a couple of hours of sleep will raise cortisol levels
• Omega-3 – 1,000 to 4,000 mg of omega-3 daily mitigates insulin resistance, inflammation, symptoms of physiological stress and can reduce cortisol levels

Changing your body composition may save your life. Visceral fat also puts women at increased risk of breast cancer and increases inflammation throughout the body. If  you have excess fat around your abdomen, you may want to consider changing your eating and lifestyle habits to reduce your risk of cardiovascular and other diseases and enjoy a longer and healthier lifespan.