As funny as this might sound, you'll agree with me that a greater number of persons in this era, both males and females are literally pregnant. Now, one thing I find so weird about this unfortunate situation is how people in this advance age could possibly consider protruding tummy as a sign of one living in affluence. Sadly, although this particular misconception sounds simple, it might as well interest you to know that the resultant effects emanating from it are always disastrous. As a matter of fact, this and many more are definitely what we'll be looking at as we move ahead. So, saddle your seat belt and let's take this intriguing ride together.

Potbelly or beer belly; the underlying problem is accumulation of abdominal fats.

_{(License: Public Domain]:
Pixabay}

So there's this particular classmate I had back then in High School. For over a decade our paths didn't cross and to be very honest it was somehow hard recognizing him first when we finally met at an academic conference earlier this year. Well, the problem wasn't really with the face because he still had his childhood facial looks. On the other hand, he was so fat with a tummy that prevented him from buttoning the beautifully embroidered suit he wore. I'm sure he noticed the way I gazed at his enormous stomach so immediately after we shook hands he giggled and said, "*Brother I'm a blessed man and a ferocious eater*". This statement literally cracked me up crazily. In actuality, it wasn't really the way he said it that made it extremely funny, but the thought of him considering potbelly to be a blessing. Just like my classmate in the above illustration, a lot of persons out there attribute consumption of excessive food to be the only reason behind fat accumulation in their abdominal regions. All the same, to a great extent this is only a mere fallacious reasoning. For the learned individuals who are already aware of the fact that potbelly is self-inflicted, most times they also use this flimsy excuse in their quest to cover-up their health negligence. The truth is that personally I've seen foodies with flat tummies. Now, you should probably note that **food on its own is not actually the cause of potbelly but how humans choose to consume these foods is what triggers this problem that results in other health complications**. Well, I would have loved to go straight to highlighting the various causes of potbelly but we'll succinctly explain this as we move ahead.

With that being said, let's start with the basis: what is abdominal obesity?

_{(License: Public Domain]:
wikipedia Commons}

Unlike popular belief, potbelly is not just a thing for the obese humans alone. It might interest you to know that an individual with a normal body weight can also suffer from abdominal obesity. As a matter of fact, the reasons are all embedded in the person's lifestyle. Out of curiosity someone might want to know the kind of lifestyles I'm referring to here. According to experts, **sedentary lifestyle and bad eating habits** are directly linked to major cases of abdominal obesity and generalized obesity at large. Starting with sedentary lifestyle; unfortunately, the advancement in science and technology is worsening the whole situation too. For instance, there are individuals whose lives are entirely devoid of any form of physical activities since human power can always be substituted with the use of machines. For a good number of years now all they've ever done is sit in the house, office, vehicles, etc. This actually may seem like a stress-free life; however, based on research studies fats are burned off during physical activities, hence sedentary lifestyle causes nothing but unnecessary accumulation of large amounts of these fats in different parts of the body.

_{(License: Public Domain]:
Pixabay}

Aside from sedentary lifestyle, bad eating habit is also an important factor that causes abdominal obesity. Like I said earlier on, food on its own is not actually the cause of abdominal obesity but how individuals choose to consume these foods is what triggers the problem. Honestly, to be entirely free from potbelly, good dietary approaches must be adopted. I may not be able to enumerate on all kinds of food but I'll try as much as possible to cite common examples that can cause abdominal obesity if consumed carelessly. There include high-caloric diets, canned or processed foods, sweetened drinks and juice, bakery products and ice-cream, refined grains (such as pizza), and most importantly alcohol. At this point it's pertinent to state that, for already affected individuals, the basic ways of beating abdominal obesity is through **exercise and intake of healthy diets**. From what I've just said, you'll agree with me that the role of a nutritionist can never be overemphasized.

Final thoughts

_{(License: Public Domain]:
Flickr}

The difference between abdominal obesity and generalized obesity is basically in the location where fat accumulation takes place. While excess fat known as **subcutaneous fat** is found underneath the skin in cases of generalized obesity; excess fat called **visceral or abdominal fat** is found inside the peritoneal cavity packed in between internal organs and torso. Due to the fact that abdominal fat is especially active hormonally, it secretes a group of hormones called **adipokines** that may possibly impair glucose tolerance (leading to diabetes), as well as initiate other complications (cardiovascular diseases). As a matter of fact, this is the major reason why abdominal obesity has always been considered more risky than even generalized obesity. Well, do not forget that the main emphasis is on the fact that potbelly is not a thing to be proud of. Hit the gym; exercise; eat well. I sincerely hope you've learned a thing or two from this article. Thanks for doing this with me. **Till next time!** To read more about this topic, check out these **REFERENCES** [Abdominal obesity](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_obesity) from wikipedia.org [Abdominal obesity and your health](https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/abdominal-obesity-and-your-health) from Harvard health publishing [Abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome: exercise as medicine?](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5935926/) from US national library of medicine [The risks of belly fat and how to beat them](https://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/features/the-risks-of-belly-fat). Retrieved on the 15th of May, 2019 **Image sources** Images are from flickr, pixabay, and wiki commons all licensed under creative commons and eligible for commercial use.