The bear's belly and the sheep's belly are the two types of belly that men form.
Pot bellies are not attractive. This statement, which many people try to avoid by saying that “personality is what matters”, has been replaced by another one that is difficult to escape: men with big bellies are potentially sick.
Ugly and also sick because of their belly, that already becomes a depth charge against male self-esteem.
Or rather, they are concerned, but more for aesthetic reasons, even though the pot belly has jumped into the field of public health. Endocrinologist Hernán Yupanqui is blunt when he states that “big-bellied people have a higher cardiometabolic risk, that is, they are more prone to developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
And when it comes to accumulating fat, unlike women who store it in their rabbits, hips and bat wings, in men most of it is located inside the abdomen, which is the largest box in the body, where it shares space with the viscera, which makes it dangerous.
It can also accumulate under the skin, but in smaller quantities.
According to endocrinologist Iván Darío Escobar, men gain weight because they eat more than they expend, and the excess, converted into fat, accumulates according to genetic determinants.
The problem, Escobar says, is that “fat cells are not, as previously thought, an unsightly deposit, but rather a kind of gland capable of producing substances that can trigger metabolic syndrome, a dangerous association between obesity, hypertension and high cholesterol.”
As for the size of the belly, which men try hard to hide, Yupanqui is emphatic in saying that anyone with an abdominal circumference of more than 90 centimeters is at risk; others are more generous and set the limit at 100 centimeters.
The New England Journal of Medicine states that every 5 centimeters above these limits increases cardiovascular risk by 17 percent.
Now, visceral fat is more dangerous than subcutaneous fat, and men can roughly determine which of the two predominates in their belly.
Andrés Gómez, director of the Clínica Colombiana de Obesidad y Metabolismo, explains that if the abdomen is soft and spreads to the sides in rolls, it is most likely subcutaneous fat, which is relatively benign and characteristic of a "polar bear belly." However, if it remains high, firm, and does not sag, it is a "sheep-type belly," made up of visceral fat, which is the most harmful.
Be careful with these myths
Doing crunches will help your belly to shrink. False. They improve muscle tone and that is important, but your belly will still hang because it is accumulated fat.
To lose belly fat, just exercise your stomach. False. Exercising larger muscle groups, such as those in your legs and arms, burns more calories than those in your abdomen.
Thermal belts burn belly fat. There is no evidence that this is true. Subcutaneous fat has been shown to be redistributed, but not eliminated, when they are worn for a long time.
Purgatives and laxatives reduce the belly. In some cases of visceral fat, the accumulation of gases or the presence of dyspepsia can increase the size of the belly, but their elimination does not act on the fat.
The eight keys that work
1. Eliminate sweets, fats and reduce carbohydrates in your diet.
2. Divide your daily diet into five smaller meals, and never skip breakfast.
3. Fruits and vegetables: include 5 servings a day in your diet, of each kind.
4. Eliminate sodas and processed foods.
5. Hydrate yourself with pure water whenever your body requires it.
6. Do aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, dancing) for 50 minutes daily, at increasing intensity, at least five days a week.
7. Add 20 minutes of resistance exercise a day to strengthen and activate your muscles. Choose a muscle group each day (legs, arms, back, spine and abs) and alternate between them.
8. Reduce stress, learn relaxation techniques, sleep at least seven hours a day and set goals that you can achieve.
If you have a belly, better consult
It is not natural for men to have a belly, as was thought until a few years ago. Both bear and sheep-like belly represent risks and should be avoided and reduced. Escobar and Yupanqui agree that any belly should begin with a medical examination that includes sugar measurements and a hormonal profile to rule out metabolic alterations that affect fat accumulation. If they exist, they should be treated as occurs with diabetes and thyroid hormone involvement. Both insist that the basis is to follow an adequate diet and do physical activity.
Gómez clarifies that there are no magic remedies, and that diet, exercise and strict medical supervision can give way, in cases of high body mass indexes at the expense of visceral fat, to weight loss surgeries, such as bariatric surgery. If it is stubborn subcutaneous fat, liposuction and other surgeries can be useful.
CARLOS F. FERNÁNDEZ
Medical advisor EL TIEMPO