Central obesity, commonly referred to as belly fat, is the accumulation of fat deposited between the internal organs in the torso resulting in an increase in waist size. There is a strong correlation between central obesity and cardiovascular disease.

While central obesity can be obvious just by looking at the naked body , the severity of central obesity is determined by taking waist and hip measurements. The absolute waist circumference (>102 centimetres in men and >88 centimetres in women) and the waist-hip ratio (>0.9 for men and >0.85 for women) are both used as measures of central obesity.

Central obesity is associated with a statistically higher risk of heart disease, hypertension, insulin resistance, and diabetes mellitus type 2 . Belly fat is a symptom of metabolic syndrome, and is an indicator used in the diagnosis of that disorder.

Causes

The main causes of central obesity are overeating and a sedentary lifestyle.

Overeating

Overeating is a behavior and not a medical problem. In general terms it refers to the persistent consumption of excess food in relation to the energy that the person expends, leading to weight gain and often to obesity.

Sedentary lifestyle

Sedentary lifestyle is used to denote a type of lifestyle most commonly found in modern cultures. It is characterized by sitting or remaining inactive for most of the day with little or no exercise. It is believed to be a factor in obesity, and, as such, may contribute to other diseases, such as type II diabetes, heart disease, depression and even hemorrhoids. Lack of exercise causes muscle atrophy, i.e. shrinking and weakening of the muscles and accordingly increases susceptibility to physical injury.

Prevention

Performing adequate aerobic exercise and eating a healthy diet prevent central obesity, and losing weight via these methods is the main way to reverse the condition.

Aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise refers to exercise that involves or improves oxygen consumption by the body. Aerobic means “with oxygen”, and refers to the use of oxygen in the body’s metabolic or energy-generating process. Many types of exercise are aerobic, and by definition are performed at moderate levels of intensity for extended periods of time. To obtain the best results, an aerobic exercise session involves a warming up period, followed by at least 20 minutes of moderate to intense exercise involving large muscle groups, and a cooling down period at the end.

Healthy diet

A healthy diet involves consuming nutrients by eating the appropriate amounts from all of the food groups, including an adequate amount of water. Since human nutrition is complex, a healthy diet may vary widely, and is subject to an individual’s genetic makeup, environment, and health. For around 20% of the human population, lack of food and malnutrition are the main impediments to healthy eating.Conversely, people in developed countries have the opposite problem; they are more concerned about obesity.