This is something we hear often: “I wish there was something, a pill or a procedure, to kill (almost) all my fat cells forever, so I can eat whatever I want and never put on weight anymore”. Most people actually use the word “almost” to mean that some fat should stay intact in all the strategic places (butt, breasts, face etc), with the rest mostly gone. To which my answer is: “Be careful what you wish for…” Because, believe me, you would not want such a thing to happen to you, as without fat cells you would end up dead. Let me explain.
What are the best exercises to reduce visceral fat?
Before explaining the mechanics of visceral fat reduction, let's start with some definitions. Visceral adipose tissue, aka VAT or visceral fat, is the type of fat found deep in your belly and between your organs; subcutaneous adipose tissue, aka SAT or simply ‘fat’, is found just under your skin either on your belly or anywhere else on your body; and hypodermal adipose tissue, aka cellulite, is fat found within the deeper part of your skin itself on the thighs, bum and even stomach and arms. Now let's go back to visceral fat reduction…
Cellulite vs visceral fat vs subcutaneous fat: the differences
Adipose (fat) tissue, i.e. what we call ‘body fat’, stores calories in the body in the form of ‘triglycerides’, which is the technical name for all fats and oils. In addition, adipose tissue also secretes hormones-like substances, called adipokines, such as resistin, adiponectin, leptin, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and even estrogen…