The Extreme Dangers of Belly Fat

About one third of all Americans today are overweight, and of that third, many carry excess belly fat, which gives the body an ungainly apple shape. Too much belly fat can also contribute to serious health problems, from emphysema to heart disease.

Types of Belly Fat

• The heart is affected by belly fat, as are other organs.

  Excess subcutaneous fat, the fat that sits directly under the skin, is a factor in the way a person looks and can also herald health problems, but it is not as dangerous as internal, or visceral, fat. Visceral fat lies in the abdominal cavity and doesn't always show on the outside. Many people with normal body weight carry excess visceral belly fat, which surrounds the vital organs, such as the stomach, the liver and the heart. It also can interfere with the proper functions of these organs, and in extreme cases strangle and even penetrate them.

Hormone Imbalances

• Extra belly fat causes problems with fertility in men and women.

  Since belly fat adds surplus estrogen to the body and so creates a hormone imbalance, many overweight men develop a high risk of prostate cancer, sexual dysfunction and problems with a healthy sperm count. For women, the extra estrogen causes uterine cysts, menstrual problems, a tendency toward breast cancer and possible infertility. Insulin and other hormones are also affected by belly fat, and the risk of diabetes rises with a rise in visceral belly fat.

Serious Illnesses

• Besides many other problems, extra belly fat causes premature aging.

  People with high belly fat have a higher risk of developing colon, kidney, breast, and other potentially deadly cancers. The risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's increases as the belly fat increases, and lung problems, like emphysema, are higher in people who carry extra belly fat. Because visceral fat impairs the proper functioning of the whole body, migraines, insomnia, joint pain and allergies are other problems that can develop. And, according to research done at the St Thomas's Hospital in London, obesity in the belly area accelerates the normal aging process and ages a person even more than smoking does.