How to Lose Belly Fat: Latest Secrets from the Research Labs, Part 2
Abdominal fat is now seen as a growing health hazard, an indicator and contributor to "Syndrome X," or metabolic syndrome. The risks of metabolic syndrome go far beyond a bulge at your waistline, and include heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
If you’re over 40, it’s time to get serious about reducing your abdominal fat. Not just for your waistline, but to dramatically reduce your risk of chronic disease.
How to Lose Belly Fat: Secret #2 – DHEA
DHEA is a human hormone that has also been found in certain types of yams. While some of the research on DHEA and fat loss is inconclusive, a new study published in the prestigious JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) in 2004 is turning heads.
In the JAMA study, 28 men and 28 women, ranging from 65 to 78 years of age, took 50 mg. of non-prescription DHEA for 6 months. The DHEA treatment produced "significant decreases" in both abdominal fat and ordinary fat. In addition, insulin sensitivity was also substantially improved.
The researchers concluded that "DHEA replacement could play a role in prevention and treatment of the metabolic syndrome associated with abdominal obesity." Primarily, I would add, in elderly people- or people with low levels of DHEA.
DHEA levels are known to decline with age. The older you are, the more likely that DHEA will help you reduce belly fat. Your doctor can also do a blood test for DHEA levels.
The theory of hormone replacement therapy, which links your body’s gradual loss of certain hormones to aging and age-related disease, has a lot of established medical proof. In its narrowest sense, HRT is means replacing estrogen in menopausal women. But the broader picture of HRT includes human growth hormone, melatonin, sex hormones, and DHEA.
If you are still young, you probably have adequate levels of most or all of these hormones. There would be no sense in giving you more, because you are not yet "deficient."
The key to HRT, especially as it relates to aging, is to return your hormone levels to a more "youthful profile." Levels similar to what you had when you were, say, 25 years old. Before most of us were worried about diabetes, heart disease, or our bulging bellies.
Just as low levels of this hormone can be a problem, too much DHEA can also cause problems. Ask your doctor about the blood test before you supplement.
David L. Kern is a health researcher and publisher of New Health & Longevity, a newsletter devoted to the latest advances in nutritional science. Find out how to lose belly fat today at applepoly.com/bellyfat. This entire series of articles, How to Lose Belly Fat: Secrets from the Research Labs will be available for download at applepoly.com/howtolosebellyfat.
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The Effect Of A Low Carb Diet On Your Insulin Level
The underlying principles of low carb diets are based on the role of insulin in our body. There are three basic units the body uses for energy: Fats, Proteins, and Carbohydrates.
All three can be converted to blood glucose. However, while fats and proteins are converted slowly, carbohydrates are converted quickly causing quick spikes in the body’s blood sugar levels. These spikes in blood sugar levels cause the pancreas to create and release insulin until the blood sugar level returns to normal.
Meanwhile, insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas that lowers our blood’s glucose levels is released into the blood as soon as the body detects that blood sugar levels have risen above its optimal level.
Insulin is a very efficient hormone that runs the body’s fuel storage systems. If there is excess sugar or fat in the blood insulin will signal the body to store it in the body’s fat cells. Insulin also tells these cells not to release their stored fat, making that fat unavailable for use by the body as energy.
Since this stored fat cannot be released for use as energy, insulin very effectively prevents weight loss. The higher the body’s insulin levels, the more effectively it prevents fat cells from releasing their stores, and the harder it becomes to lose weight. According to many authorities, over the long term, high insulin levels can lead to insulin resistance and cause serious health problems like obesity, accelerated aging, increased food allergies and intolerances, overworked immune system, heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer.
Carbohydrates, especially simple carbs like sugar and starch, are quickly turned into sucrose by the body entering the blood stream quicker thereby causing the release of large amounts of insulin. The fewer carbs are eaten, the less insulin is produced by the body, and the fewer calories are stored as fat. Less fat storage equals less weight gain and fewer carbs eaten equals less insulin in the blood and the body using its fat stores for fuel.
The premise behind every low-carb diet plan is that a body that produces less insulin burns more fat than a body that produces lots of insulin. Some plans encourage a period of extremely low carbohydrate intake so that the body will enter a state of ketosis and more quickly burn fat stores.
These are usually called induction periods. The length of extreme carb control varies from seven days to however long it takes you to reach your ideal weight. After this period of extremely low carb dieting, maintenance levels of carb consumption are followed to prevent weight gain. The amount of carb you can safely eat will depend on your unique body system. And you will probably have to experiment to find out what level of carb intake is best for you.
No matter what your carb intake, it will be lower than the norm and you will still eliminate white flour and white flour products and certain other sugary and starchy foods. This is why these diet plans are known as low-carb lifestyles.
Low-carb success requires that you be willing to give up simple carbs for the long-term.
For more low carb information and a FREE copy of the ebook “30-day Low Carb Diet Ketosis Plan”, please subscribe to our ezine Low Carb eGazette.
This article is for informational purposes only. You should consult with your physician before starting any diet.
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