Why Is Belly Fat Bad For Your Lungs And What Are Its Causes?

We all have read and know by now how accumulation of excess fat around the belly can cause devastating effect on health. Many people have their arms and legs thin and slim, but no matter how much they try, their belly fat defies their entire attempt to melt even after dieting and exercising.

Excess of belly fat appears unsightly. In fact studies have shown too much of belly fat is more dangerous than being overweight proportionally all around.

Abdominal obesity according to scientists is a constituent of metabolic syndrome which also includes high triglyceride, high blood pressure, and high sugar. If a person has all three of these constituents, he is considered to be suffering from metabolic syndrome. This syndrome increases the risk of heart attack, brain stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Recently scientists have also found that too much of belly fat can impair lung function. Abdominal obesity can be defined as an adult male having waist circumference more than 40 inches and females having waist circumference more than 35 inches.

For a person with Asian descent, the normal waist measurement for men is up to 37 inches and for females it is 31 inches. According to a study, researchers have found a clear connection between increased fat in abdomen and reduced functioning of lungs regardless of any other contributing diseases.

What Are The Causes Of Excess Belly Fat?

The exact cause regarding this observation is not yet clearly understood, one thing researchers are agreeing is that the pressure of excess accumulated fat on the diaphragm does not allow the lung to expand fully during breathing. Especially while bending or while lying down. Hence the lung capacity reduces.

Medical fraternity also hints obesity as the most prime cause for obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a sleep related disorder which is characterized by frequent episodes of obstruction in air passage. This may often cause reduced oxygen level in blood and hence the brain. In this disorder the patient temporarily stops breathing. It is for fraction of few seconds. Poor sleep and tiredness are after effects of sleep apnea. Studies have also found a link between sleep apnea and obesity, especially collection of fat in the belly. People suffering from sleep apnea are more often found to have increased belly fat.

Belly fat is also bad for lungs of patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). When your body is overweight you ought to carry more weight. This means tissues require more oxygen and for doing so the heart has to work harder. Similarly patient finds more difficulty in breathing when they are overweight. Respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis, emphysema and asthma become more severe in people who are found to be overweight, especially if they have excess of belly fat.