Abdominal Obesity

Abdominal Obesity, also known as visceral obesity or core obesity, is a disorder in which excess fat is stored around the stomach and abdomen, causing a “beer gut” or “apple-shaped” bodily look. This fat is especially stored as visceral adipose tissue (VAT), which is found deep in the abdomen around important organs such as the liver, pancreas, and intestines. VAT is very metabolically active and hazardous.

Unlike subcutaneous fat, which lies under the skin, visceral fat produces chemicals that induce inflammation, free fatty acids, and hormones that lead to insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, and chronic inflammation. Abdominal obesity is much worse than general obesity and greatly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, stroke, colorectal and breast cancer, dementia, asthma, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and back pain, even in individuals with normal BMIs.
Diagnosis: Waist circumference >102 cm (40") in men or >88 cm (34.5") in women in the U.S.; the cut points are lower for Asia-Pacific populations (>90 cm men, >80 cm women).

Lifestyle Modifications: Calorie-restricted Mediterranean or DASH diet, frequent cardiovascular exercise (?30 minutes, 5 days/week), strength training, intermittent fasting, enough sleep, and stress management. In severe situations not responding to other treatments, bariatric surgery may have a role.