When we think of carcinogens, we typically think of air pollution or smoking. Well, it turns out excess fat tissue (especially around the waist) is also carcinogenic (not just a cosmetic problem). In fact, obesity is outdoing tobacco use as the #1 preventable risk factor for cancer.1 What kind of cancers is belly fat most involved with? Obesity is most strongly linked to breast, colon, prostate, uterine, and kidney cancers.
While we have known this for a while, what was less known was exactly how body fat increases cancer risk. One recent study aimed to find out why excess body fat influences the transformation of a normal, non-tumorous cell to become a malignant cancer cell.
What Makes Fat Cells So Dangerous?
What have we known until now? As mentioned in some of our previous posts, fat cells don't just store fat. If only it were that simple. Fat tissue is metabolically active. It secretes all sorts of chemicals, including adipokines, cytokines, and growth factors. These can disrupt the normal function of metabolism and the endocrine system, increase levels of inflammation, and increase the size of fat cells. In other words, it can even lead to more fat accumulation.
The study found that fat also releases a particular protein that may be most responsible for belly fat's carcinogenic influence. The protein is known as fibroblast growth factor-2. As opposed to subcutaneous fat (the fat you can pinch just under the skin), a deeper layer of abdominal fat (known as visceral fat) produces more of this protein. 2
How to Lose Excess Visceral Fat
Thankfully, visceral fat gives in to diet and exercise. A 2017 review of 89 different studies that examine this topic found that visceral fat loss is linked to subcutaneous fat loss and that the percent decrease of visceral fat was greater than subcutaneous fat loss with diet and exercise.3
What can you do to maintain or lower body fat? We're counting down to our favorite and most preferred method of cutting back on excess body fat.
#5. Get adequate sleep (at least 7 hours). Many studies show that extremes of sleep (less than 5 hours or greater than 8 hours) are linked to excess BMI and visceral fat stores. 4
#4. Avoid extreme or fad diets. Diets that create high caloric deficits can actually lead to fat preservation.
#3. Choose unprocessed, whole foods. One benefit of unprocessed foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole unprocessed grains is their high fiber content that helps control appetite, slow down digestion of food, and ultimately reduce risk of visceral fat gain. One study found that a mere 10-gram increase in daily soluble fiber intake reduced risk of visceral fat gain by 3.7%.
#2. Get about 5 hours of exercise each week and be consistent. Make sure to include aerobic exercise in your program if approved by your doctor. High or moderate-intensity aerobic exercise has the highest potential of reducing visceral body fat. You can see great results in as little as 3 months. 6
What would our #1 suggestion be?
#1. EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN (at every meal and snack)! Dietary protein is important for fat loss. It contributes to feelings of fullness, helps keep blood sugar stable, and helps preserve lean muscle mass.
#1. EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN (at every meal and snack)! Dietary protein is important for fat loss. It contributes to feelings of fullness, helps keep blood sugar stable, and helps preserve lean muscle mass.
It comes as no surprise, then, that higher-protein diets are associated with lower waist circumferences. 7
#1. EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN (at every meal and snack)! Dietary protein is important for fat loss. It contributes to feelings of fullness, helps keep blood sugar stable, and helps preserve lean muscle mass.
Quality is as important as quantity. Great protein sources to include in each of your meals and snacks include legumes, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, and whey protein.
Have you tried EnergyFirst's All Natural Whey Protein Isolate? Essentially, we take a whole food - clean milk from grass-fed and hormone/rBGH-free cows - and extract its whey protein in a way that preserves its natural properties and quality.
Try including one 25-gram scoop of whey protein in a shake as a meal replacement to begin seeing a difference in hunger/craving control, energy, and weight/body fat control.
References
1. J Clin Oncol 2014; 32: 3568–3574.
2. Oncogene (2017) 36, 6668–6679 (30 November 2017) doi:10.1038/onc.2017.278
3. Int J Obes (Lond). 2017 May;41(5):672-682. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2017.31.
4. Sleep. 2010 Mar 1; 33(3): 289–295.
5. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2012 Feb;20(2):421-7. doi: 10.1038/oby.2011.171. Epub 2011 Jun 16.
6. PLoS One. 2013; 8(2): e56415.
7. J Nutr. 2015 Mar;145(3):605-14. doi: 10.3945/jn.114.205203. Epub 2015 Jan 21.
