Do You Know About These 3 Surprising Causes of Belly Fat?

Belly fat, the noticeable fat that builds up around your waistline, is one of the most stubborn types of fat to get rid of. And unfortunately, too much belly fat can pose health risks, as it can press up against essential organs like the heart and liver.

It’s widely known that exercise and diet are the best ways to get rid of belly fat, but understanding how belly fat develops is incredibly crucial in preventing it from forming in the first place. Here's everything you need to know about some of the most surprising causes of belly fat—and what belly fat actually is in the first place.

What Is Belly Fat?

Kellyann Petrucci, MS, ND, board-certified naturopathic physician, and nutrition expert, explains that there are two types of fat: Subcutaneous and visceral.

Subcutaneous fat is the fat just below your skin. Visceral fat, which includes belly fat, lies deeper within the abdomen and surrounds your organs, including your liver, intestines, stomach and pancreas. While a certain degree of visceral fat is essential, as it helps protect the organs, too much of it can be “dangerous to health as it produces inflammatory markers that are linked with diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, and heart disease,” added Bubu A. Banini, MD, Ph.D., Yale Medicine obesity medicine doctor and assistant professor of medicine, Section of Digestive Diseases, Yale School of Medicine.

Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, Board Certified Sports Dietitian, Certified Personal Trainer, American College of Sports Medicine, and co-author of Flat Belly Cookbook for Dummies explains that belly fat accumulates the same way all other fat does: From consuming more calories than you're burning. “High insulin levels can cause the body to store more fat,” she adds. “Cortisol and adrenaline also signal to the fat cells to store, especially around the abdomen.”

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What Are the Most Surprising Causes of Belly Fat?

While poor diet and lack of exercise are the most obvious causes of belly fat, Collingwood reveals there are a few that aren’t quite so clear.

The first? Stress. Collingwood explains that excess release of cortisol and adrenaline caused by stress and anxiety can stimulate your fat and carbohydrate metabolism. While this can result in weight loss for some people, mostly because they become too stressed out to eat, it may increase their appetite or cause cravings for sweet, salty or fatty foods.

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Sleep (or lack thereof) is another contributing factor to belly fat, according to Collingwood. One 2022 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that lack of sleep led to an increase in calorie intake, body fat and belly fat. Per researchers, people who slept four hours a night had a 9 percent increase in subcutaneous belly fat and an 11 percent increase in abdominal visceral fat, compared to those who slept nine hours a night.

There is one cause of belly fat you can’t control: genetics. Collingwood explains that your genetic makeup can often dictate “where” body fat goes on the body, like whether it is distributed in the belly, thighs or butt.

Tips on How To Prevent or Minimize Belly Fat

Collingwood offers the following tips on how to prevent and minimize belly fat.

• Watch portion size: “Eat to satisfaction instead of full or stuffed,” she says.

• Meal timing: “Time meals to spread the food out throughout the day rather than having big meals and too much at one sitting,” says Collingwood.

• Amp up your fiber intake: Collingwood suggests getting fiber from fruits and veggies and whole grains.

• Eat healthy fats: Collingwood encourages the consumption of monounsaturated fats found in nuts, seeds, and avocados. She also suggests omega-3 fats in fish instead of saturated fat in dairy and meats.

• Don’t stress: “Practice stress management techniques,” she recommends.

• Prioritize sleep health: “Get adequate sleep and good quality of sleep to prevent hormone dysregulation,” says Collingwood.

• Exercise: Finally, don’t forget to exercise.

Next up: Here are 13 reasons why you're not losing weight

Sources

• Kellyann Petrucci, MS, ND, board-certified naturopathic physician, and nutrition expert

• Bubu A. Banini, MD, Ph.D., Yale Medicine obesity medicine doctor and assistant professor of medicine, Section of Digestive Diseases, Yale School of Medicine

• Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, Board Certified Sports Dietitian, Certified Personal Trainer, American College of Sports Medicine, and co-author of Flat Belly Cookbook for Dummies