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Amongst friends we playfully call it the ‘donut belly’ or ‘spare tyre’ – but storing excess fat around your tummy egion could seriously impact your health.

Excess belly fat is less about squeezing into your favourite pair of skinny jeans, and more about providing telltale signs of your overall health.

Also known as visceral fat, this particular fat collects around your belly and significantly raises your risk of heart disease, type two diabetes, and some cancers.

What’s more, a study conducted by the Journal of the American Heart Association on Brits aged 40 to 69, found that women who carry more weight around their middles have a 10 to 20 per cent higher risk of a heart attack than those who carry the same amount of weight over all.

GP Dr Sarah Garsed told The Sun: ‘Patients know that being overweight or obese isn’t healthy, but they are often shocked to learn they can be a “healthy” weight but still be at risk from disease if they carry excess fat around their middle.’

Dr Sarah warns that weight gain around the centre of the body - known as visceral fat - is particularly dangerous because it places pressure on your internal organs (stock image)

Dr Sarah warns that weight gain around the centre of the body – known as visceral fat – is particularly dangerous because it places pressure on your internal organs (stock image)

Sarah added that weight gain around the centre of the body is particularly dangerous because of the type of fat that it is.

She warned that visceral fat is dangerous as it puts pressure on your internal organs and as a result, places you at a much higher risk of falling victim to serious health problems.

Serious consequences of visceral fat include heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, strokes, diabetes, breast cancer, and Alzheimer’s – which the expert warns could occur imminently.

How to spot and prevent belly fat 

If you spot a little pudge around your mid section – there’s hope on the horizon as not all belly fat is visceral.

Our bodies need a layer of fat to protect us and our organs, however, when it becomes more than just one layer of healthy fat we expose ourselves to serious issues. 

So how does one measure or spot visceral fat? Sarah says there is no real way of measuring exactly how much visceral fat you have, but she does reveal a few tips.

She said: ‘If you are an apple shape, with a large amount of weight stored around your middle, but slimmer legs and upper body, this is a sign of visceral fat. You can also wrap a tape measure around your waist, over your belly button, and check your measurements against the NHS guidelines for a “healthy” waistline.’

For women, if you measure 35 inches or higher around your stomach, it could mean you’re carrying visceral fat, while for men, around 40 inches or higher indicates the same thing.

For women, if you measure 35 inches or higher around your stomach, it could mean you're carrying visceral fat, while for men, 40 inches or higher indicates the same thing (stock image)

For women, if you measure 35 inches or higher around your stomach, it could mean you’re carrying visceral fat, while for men, 40 inches or higher indicates the same thing (stock image)

Sarah says tests that accurately measure your visceral fat are also available, but they are very rarely offered on the NHS and can be quite costly.

How to lose visceral fat 

Regular exercise 

Aerobic exercise is a great choice and extremely effective when it comes to nipping visceral fat in the bud.

Aerobic exercise is physical exercise of low to high intensity and includes activities like brisk walking, swimming, running, or cycling.

Also known as cardiovascular exercise – it can be done at home with little to no equipment, and it’s best to warm up for five to 10 minutes before you start.

These types of exercises raise your heart rate over a period of time, encouraging your body to burn visceral fat for energy.

A healthy and balanced diet

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health, and also helps with keeping belly fat to a minimum.

A good place to start is by reducing the amount of processed and packaged foods you consume like sausages, biscuits, crisps, pastries and takeaways.

Cutting down on your alcohol intake can also aid in reducing overall body fat.

The NHS advises that if you regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week, it’s probably time to start drinking healthier alternatives. 

You can renew your diet by eating lots of fruit and vegetables, as well as good quality proteins like eggs, chicken breast and fish.

Opt for whole grains like brown rice and wholemeal bread, which can help to balance out healthy nutrition in your day-to-day life. 

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This post first appeared on Daily mail