Table of contents:
- How to measure whether our stomach is centrally obese?
- Causes of a distended stomach
- The risk of a distended stomach compared to regular obesity
- 1. Higher risk of death
- 2. Central obesity remains dangerous even though the individual has a normal BMI
- 3. Not only risk for cardiovascular disease
- 4. More risk of causing fat accumulation in the blood vessels
Obesity (overweight) and central obesity (distended belly) are conditions caused by the accumulation of body fat, but there are different concepts and the health risks of the two can also be different. Then which one is more dangerous?
How to measure whether our stomach is centrally obese?
Obesity is a condition of excess fat accumulation in the individual's body which is not balanced with the individual's height. The concept of measuring obesity refers to the value of body mass index (BMI) from the calculation of body weight (kg) divided by height squared (m2). The BMI value that indicates obesity in Indonesia is if the BMI is greater than 27.0 kg / m2. However, this measurement is highly dependent on height and cannot differentiate between muscle mass and body fat mass.
Meanwhile, central obesity is a condition of accumulation of fat around the abdominal (stomach) or known as a distended stomach. The measurement method uses the abdominal circumference (measured just below the last rib and above the navel) with normal limits if the abdominal circumference is less than 90 cm for men and 80 cm for women. Central obesity can also be seen based on the ratio of the abdominal circumference and pelvic circumference. If the stomach has a circumference that is greater than the pelvic bone, then it is certain that the individual has central obesity, aka distended.
Then, is it certain that individuals who are obese have central obesity? Not necessarily, and vice versa. A person who is overweight is more likely to have fat in other parts of the body, but it does not accumulate around the stomach. Conversely, someone with a distended stomach may only have fat deposits around the stomach
Causes of a distended stomach
Like being overweight in general, obesity and central obesity are caused by accumulation of fat due to a high consumption pattern of carbohydrates, cholesterol and fat and are not balanced with adequate physical activity. However, in central obesity, aka distended, this is often triggered by alcohol consumption so it is often referred to as beer belly or beer belly.
This has been proven by research by Schroder in which individuals who consume alcohol are at risk for developing central obesity by 1.8 times compared to those who do not consume alcohol. Alcohol consumption will increase the intake of glucose that is not needed by the body.
The risk of a distended stomach compared to regular obesity
The most important adverse effect of being overweight in obese individuals is to increase the risk of various degenerative diseases due to imbalance in blood pressure, insulin secretion, and HDL and LDL cholesterol levels. Of course this will not cause serious immediate symptoms, but will get worse as the individual ages.
Whereas in individuals who are centrally obese, aka a distended stomach, the impact of fat accumulation will be experienced more quickly. Here are some things that make central obesity more dangerous:
1. Higher risk of death
Individuals with fat that accumulates around the stomach have a higher risk of death than individuals with ordinary obesity. This is supported by recent research showing that obese but not centrally obese individuals have a lower risk of death.
2. Central obesity remains dangerous even though the individual has a normal BMI
A study by Boggsyang showed that women with fat accumulation in the abdomen increased their risk of premature death, even though they were not obese.
3. Not only risk for cardiovascular disease
The accumulation of fat around the abdomen also increases the risk of erectile dysfunction and cancer. This is because the accumulation of fat near the vital organs of the body around the stomach can lead to damage due to inflammation on the inside. As a result, individuals are more at risk of chronic disease.
4. More risk of causing fat accumulation in the blood vessels
Research by Fan shows that elderly individuals with central obesity are at risk of developing atherosclerosis, whereas individuals with the obesity category based on BMI do not have an increased risk of atherosclerosis.
Central obesity and general obesity are conditions due to accumulation of fat. However, the accumulation of fat in the stomach or central obesity is more at risk of experiencing disorders and even faster death than obesity in general.
