Obesity and a protruding stomach are the biggest health problems that bother most people these days. Many people starve themselves to reduce their stomach and fat, but they often don’t get the desired results. Fat is gained when the body stores more calories than it uses. The fat that accumulates in the internal organs around the stomach is scientifically called visceral fat. Here are the 5 main scientific reasons behind belly and fat gain:
Insulin resistance and high-carbohydrate diet: The rice, gourd, white flour desserts, and sweet drinks that we Malayalis eat every day are very high in carbohydrates. When these reach the body, glucose in the blood rises quickly and the body releases a large amount of insulin hormone to control this. When this continues for a long time, the cells become insulin resistant, and the body stores all this excess glucose as fat around the stomach.
Slow Metabolism: Metabolism is the process by which our body converts food into energy. In some people, metabolism is very slow due to genetic reasons or lack of physical activity. Due to this, even if you eat very little food, the body does not burn calories and converts them directly into fat cells. As you age, the amount of muscle mass decreases and metabolism decreases.
Severe mental stress and cortisol (Stress & Cortisol Hormone): If you have severe mental stress, no matter how much exercise you do, your fat and belly will not reduce. When stress increases, the adrenal gland produces a hormone called cortisol. This hormone disrupts the body’s metabolism and gives the body the wrong message to concentrate more fat only in the abdomen.
Lack of sleep and hunger hormones (Sleep Deprivation): When the body does not get 7-8 hours of deep sleep every day, it can adversely affect the digestive system. When sleep is reduced, the hormone Ghrelin, which increases appetite, increases and the hormone Leptin, which controls appetite, decreases. This encourages us to eat more sweets and junk food at night and gain weight.
Hormonal Imbalance: Certain physical illnesses can cause rapid weight gain. Hypothyroidism, which is caused by a deficiency of thyroid hormone, and PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) in women can disrupt the hormonal balance in the body and cause weight and belly fat to not decrease even with exercise.