Consumption of certain types of alcohol may increase your visceral fat according to a new British study published in the journal Obesity Science & Practice on February 7, 2022. Indeed, drinking beer, wine or spirits would not have the same impact on your waistline.
To come to these results, the researchers evaluated 1,869 adults, aged 40 to 79, who previously completed a questionnaire in which demographic, alcoholic, dietary and lifestyle factors were collected. They then collected height, weight and blood samples from each participant to obtain information about their body profiles.
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All this information was then used to examine the relationships between types of alcoholic beverages and body profile using a statistical program. “Alcohol has long been considered a possible factor in the obesity epidemic”, explain the researchers in the study. “Yet the public often hears conflicting information about the potential risks and benefits of alcohol. Therefore, we hope to help unravel some of these factors through our research.”
Visceral fat: what are the health risks?
Sleep disorders, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases… Visceral fat accumulation increases the risk of many pathologies according to several studies. Invisible to the naked eye, it is the most toxic because it is located around the viscera under the muscles of the abdominal wall, enveloping the veins connecting the intestines to the liver. When it is in excess, it passes directly into the veins and therefore pours fatty acids into the blood. That causes toxic effects in the organs and participates in the manufacture and use of sugar.
Therefore, this abdominal fat can have serious health consequences. Indeed, having a large waist circumference can increase the risk of developing certain pathologies as’high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. But beware : it is important that it be differentiated from the so-called subcutaneous fat located in the abdomen. This is the famous “belly” located under the skin.
In France, we speak of abdominal obesity by a waist circumference greater than or equal to 80 cm for women and 94 cm for men. At this point, a person is considered to be in danger. In the majority of cases, the cause of this visceral fat is hormonal, because most of the people who suffer from this phenomenon are postmenopausal women, in particular because of the very high hormone levels in them. However, smoking, high blood pressure, and bleeding disorders are also triggers, as are stress hormones. In addition, alcohol can also have an impact, positive or negative, on visceral fat depending on the drink chosen.