How cuddly is your man?

We all know the two main body shapes; apple (rounded in the middle) and pear (more shapely round the hips).  Men seem to be more prone to the apple shape or beer belly, which can often leave them looking "pregnant".  However, with the "Dad Bod" seemingly in fashion, just how healthy is your man?

Pear shaped, as in extra weight around the thighs (more habitual in women) is subcutaneous fat, situated just beneath the skin, this fat is harmless as it stays exactly where it is and is very hard, but not impossible, to lose through dieting.

The apple shape however, is visceral fat which accumulates around the internal organs behind the abdominal wall.  This is why these round beer bellies tend to be hard and you can't pinch them.  This type of fat is a lot easier to  lose but is far more dangerous to health - in fact, it can kill you and here's how:

1.  Heart.
Visceral fat is linked to high levels of bad colesterol and high blood pressure, both of which are contributors to heart disease.

2.  Immune System.
Visceral fat produces a chemical called interleukin-6 which is active in inflammation.  Inflammation does serious damage to the body, it worsens the symptoms of diseases such as COPD (Chronic

Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) among others and could also raise your risk of developing these diseases.

3.  Diabetes.
Belly fat has been linked to insulin resistance syndrome, this is where the body becomes less sensitive to insulin and this type of fat produces more of it.  This means that people with visceral fat are more likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes.

4.  Dementia.
A Japanese study found that an adverse waist-to-hip ratio where the waist was a lot larger than the hips, was linked to a higher risk of developing dementia due to a highly negative effect on the hippocampus - the memory center in the brain.

5.  Cancer.
Research has recently revealed that men who put on  2st 7lb (17 kg) from adolescence to retirement, and were subsequently classed as overweight, had a 50% higher risk of developing bowel, kidney, oesophagal and pancreatic cancer.

6.  Depression.
A 2014 study of more than 3,300 men and women with an average age of 51, found that higher levels of visceral was linked to higher risk of depression.  This is believed to happen due to an increase in the production of the stress hormone cortisol.

7.  Lungs.
A study from California has also shown a link between high levels of visceral fat and asthma.  Apple shaped overweight people were more likely to develop asthma, this is due to the inflammatory effects of abdominal fat on the the respiratory system.

8.  Snoring.
Weight has often been associated with snoring.  This is due to the abdominal fat restricting the movement  of the diaphragm and lung expansion.

So if your partner is on the cuddly side, you might like to reassess it from a health point of view.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com