Skinny fat: when thin people actually have a lot of fat & bull; hello healthy

Term skinny fat maybe not very familiar to your ears yet. Most people only think there are two types of body shapes, namely thin and fat. And if you are thin, then you are considered free from the risk of degenerative diseases, while those who are obese will certainly get sick in the future. But did you know that thin people are not always healthier than fat people?

What is skinny fat?

Skinny fat refers to a situation in which a person actually has a normal weight but has a high amount of fat in the body. Another name for skinny fat that is metabolically obese normal weight (MONW) or thin outside fat inside (TOFI). In simple terms, it means that you are thin and fat at the same time. They are classified skinny fat may have a body mass index (BMI) that is classified as normal (ranging from 18-25 kg / m²), the body fat levels when checked were still within the normal range (below 30% for women and below 25% for men). But when examined by MRI, several parts of the body, especially the abdomen, show hidden fat between the organs.

Why is there invisible fat?

There are two types of fat stored in the body, namely subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat is stored under the skin, it is this fat that can make you look "fat". Meanwhile, visceral fat is fat that is stored in the stomach, mainly stored between and around the organs in the stomach, such as the heart, liver and kidneys. This type of visceral fat is harmful to health. Its hidden location is not easy to detect, so those who have high visceral fat tend to be calm and do not make lifestyle changes.

Most people think that fat cells are just lumps that lie under the skin. But today's technological advances can demonstrate the true nature of fat cells. Fat actually behaves like an organ, actively changes shape and can produce and trigger hormones that affect mood and fertility. But unlike organs, fat cells can increase in size and are stored continuously to an unlimited number. This is related to the mechanism of our body which is still carried away by previous habits.

In ancient times, cold temperatures and long periods of famine were more frequent, so it was imperative that our bodies have a sufficient amount of fat to help us survive.

How can skinny fat happen?

Until recently we believed that if your Body Mass Index (BMI) did not exceed the normal limit (25 kg / m²) then you are classified as normal or not fat. BMI remains a good indicator to determine a person's nutritional status. But BMI cannot explain how much fat you have in your body and where it is stored.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle and genetics have a big influence on incidence skinny fat this. Those who try to lose weight by dieting alone without exercising are at greater risk of developing abdominal fat accumulation. Including if you often do various kinds of diets to lose weight. When dieting, the loss of fat starts from the upper part of the body first and then the lower part of the body. Fat in the belly is the last type of fat that is wasted when dieting. Frequent dieting is suspected to affect the way the body stores fat and visceral fat is one example.

Dietary habit

What we eat also of course has an effect, those who consume more soda have a greater risk of experiencing an increase in the amount of visceral fat. It makes no difference if you then consume diet soda, because this type of diet soda usually uses artificial sweeteners as a substitute for sugar. Artificial sweeteners are chemicals that are somewhat foreign to the body, so the more artificial sweeteners you consume, the more disturbed your metabolism will be. This effect also applies to other soft drinks, not just fixating on soda alone.

Type of exercise

The type of exercise that is not right can also make your belly fat not burn along with fat in other parts. The combination of cardio and weight training is an effective type of exercise to overcome skinny fat . Because skinny fat it can also be caused by too much fat but a small amount of muscle, so building muscle through exercise is very important. The more muscle you have to eat, the easier it will be for you to burn calories, including fat, in your body.

Genetic

Genetics also plays a role in the problem of fat accumulation in the body. As reported by The Guardian, professor Jimmy Bell, head of the Molecular Imaging Group at the Medical Research Council's London Imperial College, stated that even two men of the same age and body mass index found a difference in the amount of fat up to 3 liters between the two. Professor Bell also said his team once examined someone who was included underweight but it turns out to have up to 7 liters of fat, while the average amount of fat for men is 5.4 liters.

Skinny fat side effects

The active substances produced by fat cells can cause various health problems. Insulin resistance, increased cholesterol levels, increased LDL numbers, decreased HDL, and triggered the formation of cancer cells are some of the bad effects of visceral fat. Further impacts can be in the form of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. One in four people who were judged underweight turned out to have a problem in the form of pre-diabetes and is called metabolic obesity. Plus if you have very little muscle mass, which is a major problem on that skinny fat, then the chances for you to develop insulin resistance at a later date are much greater.

What you can do to prevent skinny fat

If you tend to be the type of person who doesn't gain weight even though you've eaten a lot, plus the types of food you eat are mostly high in fat, then you have to start to be careful. Balance your lifestyle with regular exercise, which is a combination of cardio and weight training. Visceral fat is a type of fat that is easily removed by changing diet and lifestyle or exercise.

Adequate sleep 7-8 hours a day and reduce stress also play a role in reducing visceral fat buildup. Don't forget to always regularly check with your doctor, especially to check your blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Usually those who fall into the category skinny fat pay less attention to health checks because they feel they are already thin and are unlikely to suffer from degenerative diseases. In these ways you can reduce the risk of experiencing skinny fat .