Fat, one of the major nutrients in the human body, has received mixed reviews. Not only does it affect your body shape, but the amount of fat content also affects your body hormone levels, especially visceral fat has a relatively large impact on the body’s hormone levels. Some hormones that are particularly important for muscle gain and fat loss, such as insulin, testosterone, and estrogen, are affected by it, and the level of secretion is also closely related to fat mass. Today’s topic is to talk about the relationship between visceral fat and testosterone and estrogen, and how to effectively lose visceral fat and improve body hormone levels.
After reading this article, you will gain the following three aspects of information:
The effect of visceral fat on the body Negative effects
The relationship between testosterone, estrogen, insulin and visceral fat
How to reduce visceral fat balance hormone levels
The negative effects of visceral fat on the body
Subcutaneous and Visceral Fat
The fat we usually call is generally divided into two types: Subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat is mostly located in the limbs and the surface of the human body, and has more positive effects on the human body, such as the supply of the body’s energy system, the regulation of our body’s body temperature, and the protection of the body’s skeletal system. Generally speaking, the amount of subcutaneous fat only affects the appearance of the body, and the harm to the health is not high. Visceral fat is located in the abdomen of our body. It is useless in the impression, but it is not all negative. Our internal organs also need shock absorption and buffering in daily activities and sports. A certain amount of visceral fat can be very good. Protects our organs from direct shock, but too much visceral fat is a bigger problem.
Negative Effects of Visceral Fat
Because visceral fat is more active than subcutaneous fat, This activity reflects the ability to secrete various hormone levels, such as testosterone and estrogen, which we often call, some of which are produced by fat. When visceral fat is more active, these hormone levels become uncontrolled, and the body’s hormone levels are disrupted. At the same time, visceral fat also releases various chronic inflammatory molecules. Inflammation is part of the body’s immune system, the process by which the immune system recognizes damaged cells, irritants or pathogens and begins the process of healing. In general, inflammation is divided into acute inflammation and chronic inflammation. The positive effect of acute inflammation on the human body is even greater. Visceral fat releases chronic inflammatory molecules. Chronic inflammation not only exacerbates the rate of obesity, but also affects the balance of normal adipokines, making the body more prone to insulin resistance, diabetes and even cardiovascular disease. .
The relationship between testosterone, estrogen, insulin and visceral fat
Visceral fat and testosterone
In our daily life, we will find that many overweight men have a hint of feminine characteristics, such as hypertrophy and sagging breasts, round and flat buttocks, and some small partners have smooth skin. This is actually true. It’s all about excess visceral fat. Visceral fat converts testosterone hormones in men into estrogen through an enzyme in the body called aromatase. Therefore, when the body fat rate is too high, men will also tend to have higher and higher estrogen levels, and lower and lower testosterone levels, which are beneficial for men to gain muscle and reduce fat. This makes fat less likely to be burned. To make matters worse, it’s a vicious cycle in which a decrease in testosterone and excess estrogen production, in men, are more likely to lead to an increase in visceral fat, and so on.
Visceral Fat and Estrogen
The effect of excessive visceral fat on sex hormone levels in women Exactly the opposite force. The increase in fat will increase the testosterone level of women, which is not conducive to women’s fat loss, but will lead to more visceral fat accumulation. Of course, this is talking about high levels of testosterone, relative to estrogen. Because the level of testosterone in the female body is very low, and a slight increase will lead to an imbalance in the ratio of testosterone to estrogen. Imbalance is the root of the problem.
With the passage of time, there are also many postmenopausal women with a big belly, which is also caused by the fact that estrogen levels drop to the lowest point in life and the proportion of testosterone hormones increases. When women have relatively high testosterone levels, they tend to store fat in the abdomen, forming visceral fat. Conversely, the stability of estrogen levels is largely a reflection of women’s visceral fat levels. At the same time, stable estrogen levels can also suppress cortisol, and when cortisol is secreted excessively, visceral fat tends to accumulate in the abdomen.
Visceral Fat and Insulin
In addition, visceral fat accumulation can exacerbate decreased insulin sensitivity.Inflammatory cytokines produced by visceral fat directly impair insulin signaling. Insulin It is the hormone with the most important influence on carbohydrate and fat metabolism. When there is a problem in signal transduction, the normal calorie metabolism pathway will be deviated, and the accumulation of visceral fat will be more inclined. If things go on like this, chronic inflammation will affect the Insulin signaling becomes more and more influential, insulin becomes insensitive, insulin resistance occurs, and a series of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease become a high probability event.
How to Reduce Visceral Fat Balance Hormone Levels
Our visceral fat breakdown is largely influenced by insulin and catecholamines. Insulin is a fat synthesis hormone and the only hypoglycemic hormone in the human body. It not only synthesizes fat, but also the glycogen reserve is inseparable from the action of insulin. When the level of insulin secretion is relatively high, lipolysis is inhibited and at the same time beneficial to Anabolism. And catecholamine hormones, including epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine, these hormones can not only promote the body to release blood sugar, but also can break down fat, after a large amount of secretion, it will make the fat catabolism obvious.Therefore To make lipolysis efficient, you only need to maximize the secretion of catecholamines and minimize the secretion of insulin. The best way to maximize the secretion of catecholamines in reality is high-intensity exercise, and the best way to minimize insulin levels It starts with diet.Many diet pills actually use the above-mentioned weight loss principles, such as stimulating your nerves, accelerating your heartbeat, or suppressing your appetite, etc. to forcibly stimulate your hormone levels to achieve weight loss goals. But non-normalized stimulation methods The damage to the human body is still very large, so it is not advisable.
Let’s see how exercise and diet should be done?
The first One, exercise
In general, the maximum heart rate, or the maximum At a level of more than 80% of oxygen uptake, the body can promote the secretion of more catecholamine hormones, so as to achieve the decomposition of visceral fat. It doesn’t matter what form of exercise is used, it’s important that the heart rate reaches this level. Many obese people have poor physical fitness and posture problems in the initial stage, and the risk of high-intensity training is relatively high. At this time, it is not necessary to ask what the heart rate is, as long as they do the most difficult things within their ability, so Visceral fat loss at the beginning of exercise is just as good. After the physical fitness and action mode have reached a certain level, under the premise of safety, you can operate according to the above requirements. Remember the basics of high-intensity training: safety first, movement pattern first.
If you want more efficient fat oxidation, it is also recommended to perform traditional low-intensity aerobics for about 30 minutes after high-intensity exercise, so that Better fat oxidation. Strictly speaking, the effect of high-intensity exercise on fat hydrolysis is more obvious, but hydrolysis and final fat oxidation are two different things. When combined with low-intensity aerobic exercise with a maximum heart rate of 50~70%, the speed of fat oxidation will be reduced. faster.
Second, diet
The role of diet is mainly to maintain The state of the body must also control the secretion of insulin levels. In general, insulin levels are greatly affected by carbohydrate intake. Insulin levels rise at a high level during meals, and lower levels between meals are beneficial to fat catabolism. Therefore, we try to choose ingredients with a low glycemic index when eating, such as brown rice, oats, and sweet potatoes in the staple food. That is to say, whole grains and whole grains are the recommended choices. At the same time, the diet should be as diverse as possible. In addition to being more nutritious, the benefits also reduce the glycemic index and glycemic load when ingested with the staple food, and improve the efficiency of insulin action. As for those with severe visceral fat, most of them are heavy in carbohydrates and fats, but light in protein and vegetables. In the long run, insulin sensitivity will decrease, and fat accumulation will become a high probability event. Therefore, the status of protein and vegetables in the process of fat loss is very important.
Execution content:
Under the premise of calorie deficit, proportional diet structure The proportion of carbohydrate intake accounts for about 45-55% of the total calories throughout the day, protein is about 15-25%, and fat is about 15-25%. Vegetables and fruits are the most important sources of vitamins and minerals, and should be supplemented in place. Low-starch mixed vegetables should be at least 500g per day, and low-sugar and high-fiber fruits should be around 350g per day. Other supplements with dairy products are also a must during fat loss.
Ingredient suggestions:
Carbohydrates: Mainly whole grains and whole grains, such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, corn and oats.
Protein: eggs, milk, deep sea fish, beef, chicken breast and whey protein powder.
Fats: mainly unsaturated fatty acids. Such as salmon, nuts, olive oil, etc.
Vegetables: such as broccoli, kale, asparagus, spinach, okra, etc.
Fruits: mainly berries, apricots, peaches, grapefruit, etc.
The above is mainly aimed at the reduction of visceral fat, so how to improve or delay the decline of testosterone and estrogen levels? In addition to the exercise and diet mentioned above, you should also pay attention to sleep, internal pressure and external environmental influences.
Third, sleep
Our human body is circadian, and sleep It can adjust the hormone levels of the human body to the best. In other words, lack of sleep can lead to overproduction of the stress hormone cortisol, which can disrupt levels of all hormones including testosterone, estrogen, insulin, and growth hormone. Therefore, it is very important to ensure a regular and regular 7-9 hours of sleep every day. At the same time, adequate sleep is also an important guarantee for efficient training and diet.
Fourth, inner pressure
The fast-paced development of modern society also brings us More anxiety and chronic stress, this stress level directly affects the normal secretion of sex hormone levels. Hormone levels in the human body have been declining year by year, and the stress level has accelerated the decline. Therefore, try to maintain a good mood as much as possible, and it is very important to learn to release or transfer stressors. You can also do more physical and mental exercises, such as yoga, Tai Chi, or outdoor sports, mountain climbing, and walking, all of which will have good results.
Fifth, external environment
The external environmental impact should not be underestimated , including the use of plastic products, cosmetics and other chemical substances; pollution of the living environment and changes in environmental temperature, etc.; as well as tobacco, alcohol, antibiotics and other issues will seriously affect the secretion level of testosterone and estrogen. In daily life, the negative effects of the above environment on the body should be avoided as much as possible.
Write at the end
In the end, visceral fat does more harm than good. Especially when people are middle-aged, they should maintain a certain waist-to-hip ratio and control visceral fat within a certain range. Not only has a certain effect on the building of the body, but more importantly, the balance and stability of hormone levels. In the end, a healthy and balanced lifestyle is fundamental. It is understandable that life and work are stressful, but we should try our best to maintain a good physical condition. The harder you work, the luckier you get. Come on, everyone. Let’s encourage each other.