10:01 AM
Get rid of that beer belly!
MIND THAT PAUNCH: People with abdominal obesity face a risk of Type II diabetes
You have seen others sporting it and probably might have giggled at the sight of it whether its your dad, uncle, boss, a politician, some police guys or a pedestrian on the street. A Beer or a pot belly is not only an unflattering sight but also an unhealthy asset not just restricted to celebrities but also the masses. These days, even young people in their 20s have become a victim to pot belly, which is certainly a bad sign. Read on to find out how to win the battle against this bulge in particular.
WHAT IS IT?
A round, pot-shaped belly is often called a Beer Belly. This is more prevalent amongst males compared to females. Clinical nutritionist Dr Nupur Krishnan says, “Many people think that beer belly is caused by drinking beer. But it is a myth. It is caused by excessive accumulation of fat in abdominal area. It consists of subcutaneous fat, which is found underneath the skin. Two major types of fat depositions currently recognised are excess subcutaneous truncal — abdominal fat (android) and excess gluteofemoral fat (gynoid). The android is also known as apple-shaped obesity or beer belly.”
“Beer Belly is also called pot belly when the abdominal circumference in male is more than 90 cms and female is 80 cms as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria. Even though it is called a beer belly, it is commonly seen in non-alcoholic Indians as well. If a person’s Body Mass Index (BMI) is more than 30 and he has a beer belly, then the beer belly could be responsible for many chronic life-threatening diseases,” says Bariatic surgeon Dr Shashank Shah.
HOW IS IT CAUSED?
Studies indicate that beer belly is highly co-related with insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and hypertension. But the most important and risky cause is the metabolic syndrome which is a chronic condition of all the above disorders in the same person. Occasionally drinking beer will not cause beer belly. However, if you drink beer very often, you consume more calories and more fluid is retained in stomach until filtered and excreted by kidney through urine. This causes stomach to bulge for prolonged time and to loose its elasticity, mentions Dr Krishnan. She cites reasons like:
Digestive disorders prevent food to be digested and excreted through feces.
Consuming more calories than required because excess calories gets converted to fat and accumulates in ones belly.
Sedentary life style reduces the basal metabolic rate and leads to people spending less energy than they consume.
Dr Shah says that speaking from an Indian context, pot belly is caused due to the Indian highcarbohydrate
intake and a diet which includes fatty curries and masalas in our preparations. Also, the fast food intake with lesser activity and a stressful busy life. This is the main reason for making India the global diabetic hub. More than 90 per cent of our Indian Type II diabetic patients fall in this category as per the WHO definition of abdominal obesity.
WHAT ARE THE ILL EFFECTS?
A Beer or pot belly is a major cause of Type II diabetes. The other health risks include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, kidney disease and cardiovascular diseases. These diseases are the most expensive health hazards; socially and economically which India and Asia are facing, opines Dr Shah.
PRECAUTIONS TO UNDERTAKE
A combination of proper diet and exercise is necessary to get rid of excess abdominal fat. Celebrity fitness trainer Baqqar Nasser says, “The average Indian man weighs between 70 to 100 kgs and woman weighs between 60 to 80 kgs. Their daily calorie consumption ranges from 1500 to 2000 calories. When ones’ intake of calorie is this much, they must ensure to burn out calories too. In order to get rid of beer belly, one should not get bound to a particular exercise. Doing stomach crunches alone is not sufficient, one needs to incorporate activities like swimming, cycling or running to show results. around 30 to 40 minutes of pure abdominal exercises is a must along with a combination of a cardio work out, to get goodlooking abs.”
He mentions the following exercises to trim Beer belly:
Exercise 1:
Lie down on your back. Try to lift your upper body to face the sky. Stay stationary for some time and return back to the original position. Gradually increase repetitions.
Exercise 2:
Hang yourself from a height. Lift up your legs, if this seems very difficult, try lifting up the knees. Begin with three repetitions and gradually increase them.
Exercise 3:
Lie on the floor on your chest. Lift up your body in a plank position, whilst resting your elbows and toes on the floor. Stay in this position for a while and return to original position. Gradually increase repetitions.
Dr Krishnan lists the following dietary precautions to get rid of the unhealthy pot belly:
Avoid excessive eating.
Avoid high calorie and high fat foods especially animal meat.
Avoid foods made of refined products made up of maida and consume high-fibre foods.
Avoid aerated drinks and sweets Eat small but frequent meals to help proper digestion.
Leave a gap of two hours between your dinner and sleep time.
Do not combine eating with other activities like reading or watching television. If you have digestive disorders or gastric problem consult a nutritionist to enhance your digestive system.
Get to know what is your calorie requirement according to your lifestyle and heath condition.
