How A Big Belly Makes You Hungrier
Posted April 18, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The vicious cycle is seemingly never ending: hungry people eat more, gain weight, get even hungrier, and eat even more.
Now, a study from the Lawson Health Research Institute may explain why.
It seems that the increased appetite is caused by a hormone found in abdominal fat. The hormone was previously believed to exist only in the brain.
Dr Kaiping Yang, a professor at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, co-authored the study. The troublesome hormone is called Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and it stimulates fat cell production.
“This may lead to a vicious cycle where NPY produced in the brain causes you to eat more and therefore gain more fat around your middle, and then that fat produces more NYP hormone which leads to even more fat cells,” Dr Yang explained.
That spare tire really increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer.
Dr Karl Kabasele took to the streets to find out if you were paying attention to your midsection.
One man admitted to pinching an inch. “I think we all have a little bit of that, you know. Myself, I’d say I’m a little guilty,” said Alex Murray.
When the measuring tape came out, he was able to breathe a little easier. His waist, at 37 inches, was well within the normal range for men.
” So I guess I have another 3 inches until I need to get really worried,” Murray chuckled. Not quite – 40 inches is the maximum, not a goal. The upper limit for women is a 35-inch waist.
If you’re looking to trim your waistline, h ere’s a few belly-busting tips to get you started:
- Limit alcohol – it’s called a “beer belly” for a reason. While scientists know that alcohol is high in calories and increases appetite, they aren’t sure why it seems to cause weight gain over the stomach in particular – but it does.
- Reduce fatty foods
- Exercise more, including strength training
- Lift weights
- Sit-ups aren’t the perfect cure – build overall muscle so that you can burn calories even while resting.
Tips provided by The Mayo Clinic.
Read the study here.
Fat Blaster – No Effort Weight Loss
