Wrong lifestyle leads to unwanted fat accumulation on our body, specially near belly fat, which in now common among people above 30s. At this age, reducing belly fat seems much more difficult. Dr. Saurabh Sethi explained on his Instagram account why belly fat starts increasing after the age of 30 without any changes in diet and lifestyle. He said that the same diet that didn't cause harm before is now becoming the reason for increased belly fat. Even exercising as before doesn't show any difference.
Dr. Sethi explains that this change doesn't happen suddenly in the body, but is due to some natural changes that occur in the body with increasing age.
Muscle Loss: According to doctors, after the age of 30, the body's muscles start decreasing by 3 to 8 percent every ten years. When the body has muscles, it burns calories even while at rest. With decreasing muscle mass in old age, fat burning also decreases. This is because muscles perform about 70 to 80 percent of the work of utilizing glucose in the body. Dr. Sethi says that when muscle mass decreases, sugar remains in the blood for a longer time and starts accumulating in the form of belly fat.
Decreased Insulin Sensitivity: With increasing age, the body's insulin sensitivity also decreases by 4 to 5 percent. This means that the amount of carbohydrates that didn't cause any problems before now causes blood sugar to rise rapidly. This leads to faster fat accumulation, especially around the stomach and waist.
Changes in Hormones: After the age of thirty, changes are also observed in the body's hormones. The levels of hormones like human growth hormone, testosterone, and estrogen begin to decrease, while the level of the stress hormone cortisol starts to increase. This change leads to an increased accumulation of deep-seated fat in the abdomen. Due to all these reasons, most people start accumulating belly fat after the age of 30.
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Ways to Reduce Belly Fat
- Eat a protein-rich diet
- Do strength training at least 3 times a week
- Walk daily and stay active to increase insulin sensitivity
- Get 7 to 8 hours of good sleep every day