Shedding belly fat can help you enjoy a healthier and longer life, as several studies done in the past have proved. Getting rid of abdominal or visceral fat can reduce the risk of heart attack, hypertension, diabetes, breast cancer, and a range of other diseases. A new study has unraveled a lesser-known benefit of shrinking your waistline which could go a long way in improving the quality of your life.
A new study done at the University of Western Australia and published in the journal Regional Anaesthesia And Pain Medicine, discovered that having more fat in the abdominal area, and major organs like liver and pancreas was linked to pain in numerous parts of the body, specifically in women. Getting rid of the abdominal fat could help address this chronic pain.
The study involved 32,409 people, out of which around half were women with an average age of 55. The participants filled out questionnaires and underwent health assessments.
Belly fat and chronic pain connection
MRI scans of their abdomen were carried out to measure the fat around their abdominal organs or visceral adipose tissue as well as subcutaneous adipose tissue, which is the amount of fat just under the skin. They were also enquired about pain in neck, shoulder, back, hip, knee or other parts of the body that was present for three months. The assessments were repeated after two year period in in 638 people in the group, and it was concluded that more fat people carried around their mid-section, the chances of reporting pain are higher. Being overweight with a higher body mass index (BMI) also increased the possibility of experiencing pain.
“Higher levels of adipose tissue were also associated with greater odds of reporting chronic pain in both sexes. The effect estimates of these adipose measures were relatively larger in women than in men. The identified stronger effects in women than men may reflect sex differences in fat distribution and hormones," said researchers.
How losing belly fat can help
The team suggested that eliminating the abdominal fat could be helpful for chronic pain management, particularly in people who experience pain at multiple sites.
The reason could be that the accumulation of body fat could be leading to increased inflammation, which then may cause people to suffer pain, apart from impacting nervous system which could affect people's experience of pain.
“Higher levels of adipose tissue were also associated with greater odds of reporting chronic pain in both sexes," said researchers.
