3 Major Causes Of Excess Abdominal Fat

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Cause #1? The typically recommended low-fat, high-grain diet. For decades, grains and other high carbohydrate foods formed the base of the food pyramid and the foundation for a “healthy diet”. All the while, fats were demonized.

Unfortunately, these recommendations couldn’t be further from the ideal path to a flat belly.  A diet high in wheat and other grain products inevitably leads to high blood sugar and poor sensitivity to the hormone insulin.2,3,4 In turn, poor insulin sensitivity has been shown to be a major cause of abdominal fat accumulation.5,6 Even worse, the more abdominal fat you gain, the worse your insulin sensitivity becomes… and thus the vicious cycle begins, often leading to out-of-control belly fat storage over time.7,8,9

Fats, on the other hand, are instrumental in the regulation of your overall hormonal balance, including many fat-burning hormones. When you understand how to choose the right fats, replacing high-carb items in your diet such as bread, bagels, muffins, baked goods, and pasta with more of these fat-burning, healthful “fatty foods”, you’ll be well on your way to a flatter belly.

Here are 7 of my top “fatty foods” for a flat belly: Whole Eggs, Nuts (such as almonds, pecans, walnuts, and cashews), Seeds (such as sunflower seeds and flaxseeds), Avocado, Olive Oil, Fatty Fish (for example, mackerel, tuna, salmon, and trout), and Coconut Oil.

Still, none of these 7 fats qualify as my #1 fat for a flat belly, which stands head and shoulders above all of the previously mentioned fats in its ability to slim your waist and burn belly fat. You’ll want to make sure to consume plenty of this #1 belly-fat-burning fat daily, so be sure to keep reading as we’ll reveal exactly what it is and where you can find it in just a moment.

The second major cause of excess abdominal fat storage is increased levels of stress.  You see, when your body is under stress, it secretes a stress-coping hormone called cortisol. Unfortunately, increased cortisol levels have been directly linked to excess belly fat.10,11 And it doesn’t take a whole lot to spike cortisol, either…simple subconscious worry and anxiety (which we all deal with to some degree), a busy schedule, and/or inadequate rest are enough to send cortisol levels soaring.

The third and final pitfall of increased belly fat stores is failing to consume effective levels of belly-fat-burning nutrients daily, particularly the #1 fat for a flat belly, conjugated linoleic acid. While you probably haven’t heard of conjugated linoleic acid, it’s been around since the beginning of time as this “super fat” is actually a healthy and naturally occurring fat found in beef and other dairy products such as yogurt, milk, butter, and cheese.

Beyond that, and of prime importance to today’s conversation, conjugated linoleic acid has been linked to an array of health benefits, most noteworthy being its unique ability to burn more belly fat than any other fat known to man.

Just how effective is conjugated linoleic acid at burning fat and slimming your waist?

    1. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled human study (the gold standard of research design) published in the Journal of International Medical Research, 20 participants were either given conjugated linoleic acid or an imposter (in the form of vegetable oil) daily for 12 weeks. At the end of the study period, the conjugated linoleic acid group lost 20% of their body fat while the placebo group lost no fat at all.14
    2. In another double-blind, placebo-controlled human study conducted by renowned Swedish researcher Dr. Annika Snedman, those receiving conjugated linoleic acid lost 400% more fat than the placebo group over the course of 12 weeks–and this was all done without any change in diet and without the implementation of a regular exercise program.15

Want more evidence? There’s no shortage when it comes to the belly-fat-blasting effects of conjugated linoleic acid…

  1. A third study conducted at the University of Barcelona, Spain measuring the effects of conjugated linoleic acid intake in 60 healthy men and women age 35 to 65 found that subjects receiving conjugated linoleic acid lost significant body fat (78% of which was from the belly region) while the placebo group actually GAINED weight…16
  2. A fourth double-blind, placebo-controlled human study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition with more than 175 total participants resulted in the conjugated linoleic acid group losing 8.7% of their total body fat while the placebo group once again GAINED weight. Subjects were asked not to change their diet or exercise routines during the study, further validating the intake of conjugated linoleic acid as the only explanation for the vast difference in results between the two test groups.17
  3. And as if that wasn’t enough, yet another study performed by the leading research team at Upsalla University in Sweden and published in the prestigious International Journal of Obesity resulted in the conjugated linoleic acid group significantly reducing their abdominal girth in only 4 weeks, while the placebo group experienced no change in abdominal measurements whatsoever.18

Clearly, research shows conjugated linoleic acid to be the #1 fat for burning unwanted belly fat through its unique ability to naturally activate the full fat-burning potential of each fat cell, but here’s the problem: the scientifically effective amount of conjugated linoleic acid (i.e. the daily amount necessary to obtain its belly-fat-burning benefits) is upwards of 2 grams per day, an amount that makes obtaining this level a virtual impossibility through beef and dairy products alone.19

Contact Shashido Enterprises for the solution!

Peer-Reviewed Research References

  1. Bosello, O., & Zamboni, M. (2000). Visceral obesity and metabolic syndrome.Obesity reviews, 1(1), 47-56.
  2. Merat, S., Casanada, F., Sutphin, M., Palinski, W., & Reaven, P. D. (1999). Western-type diets induce insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia in LDL receptor-deficient mice but do not increase aortic atherosclerosis compared with normoinsulinemic mice in which similar plasma cholesterol levels are achieved by a fructose-rich diet. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology, 19(5), 1223-1230.
  3. Garg, A., Grundy, S. M., & Unger, R. H. (1992). Comparison of effects of high and low carbohydrate diets on plasma lipoproteins and insulin sensitivity in patients with mild NIDDM. Diabetes, 41(10), 1278-1285. raise plasma triglyceride and VLDL-cholesterol concentrations and reduce HDL-cholesterol levels,
  4. BORKMAN, M., CAMPBELL, L. V., CHISHOLM, D. J., & STORLIEN, L. H. (1991). Comparison of the Effects on Insulin Sensitivity of High Carbohydrate and High Fat Diets in Normal Subjects*. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 72(2), 432-437.
  5. Carey, D. G., Jenkins, A. B., Campbell, L. V., Freund, J., & Chisholm, D. J. (1996). Abdominal fat and insulin resistance in normal and overweight women: direct measurements reveal a strong relationship in subjects at both low and high risk of NIDDM. Diabetes, 45(5), 633-638.
  6. Despres, J. P. (1992). Abdominal obesity as important component of insulin-resistance syndrome. Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), 9(5), 452-459.
  7. Volek, J. S., Sharman, M. J., Love, D. M., Avery, N. G., Scheett, T. P., & Kraemer, W. J. (2002). Body composition and hormonal responses to a carbohydrate-restricted diet. Metabolism, 51(7), 864-870.
  8. McAuley, K. A., Hopkins, C. M., Smith, K. J., McLay, R. T., Williams, S. M., Taylor, R. W., & Mann, J. I. (2005). Comparison of high-fat and high-protein diets with a high-carbohydrate diet in insulin-resistant obese women. Diabetologia, 48(1), 8-16.
  9. Volek, J. S., Sharman, M. J., Love, D. M., Avery, N. G., Scheett, T. P., & Kraemer, W. J. (2002). Body composition and hormonal responses to a carbohydrate-restricted diet. Metabolism, 51(7), 864-870.
  10. Mårin, P., Darin, N., Amemiya, T., Andersson, B., Jern, S., & Björntorp, P. (1992). Cortisol secretion in relation to body fat distribution in obese premenopausal women. Metabolism, 41(8), 882-886.
  11. Epel, E. S., McEwen, B., Seeman, T., Matthews, K., Castellazzo, G., Brownell, K. D., … & Ickovics, J. R. (2000). Stress and body shape: stress-induced cortisol secretion is consistently greater among women with central fat. Psychosomatic medicine, 62(5), 623-632.
  12. Kumari, M., Badrick, E., Ferrie, J., Perski, A., Marmot, M., & Chandola, T. (2009). Self-reported sleep duration and sleep disturbance are independently associated with cortisol secretion in the Whitehall II study. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 94(12), 4801-4809.
  13. Jevning, Ron, A. F. Wilson, and J. M. Davidson. “Adrenocortical activity during meditation.” Hormones and Behavior 10.1 (1978): 54-60.12
  14. E. Thom, et al. Conjugated Linoleic Acid Reduces Body Fat in Healthy Exercising Humans. Journal of International Medical Research 2001 29: 392
  15. Smedman A, Vessby B. Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation in humans–metabolic effects. Lipids. 2001 Aug;36(8):773-81.
  16. Nuria Laso, et al. Effects of milk supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid (isomers cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12) on body composition and metabolic syndrome components. Br J Nutr. 2007 Oct;98(4):860-7.
  17. Gaullier JM, et al. Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for 1 yr reduces body fat mass in healthy overweight humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Jun;79(6):1118-25.
  18. U RiseÂrus, et al. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) reduced abdominal adipose tissue in obese middle-aged men with signs of the metabolic syndrome: a randomised controlled trial. International Journal of Obesity (2001) 25, 1129±1135
  19. Blankson H, Stakkestad JA, Fagertun H, Thom E, Wadstein J, and Gudmundsen O: Conjugated linoleic acid reduces body fat mass in overweight and obese humans. J Nutr 2000; 130: 2943-2948
  20. theworldshealthiestfoods.org, July, 25, 2014.
  21. dairynutrition.ca July 25, 2014
  22. Mensink, R., & Katan, M. (1987). Effect of monounsaturated fatty acids versus complex carbohydrates on high-density lipoproteins in healthy men and women.The Lancet, 329(8525), 122-125.
  23. Vroegrijk, I. O., van Diepen, J. A., van den Berg, S., Westbroek, I., Keizer, H., Gambelli, L. & Voshol, P. J. (2011). Pomegranate seed oil, a rich source of punicic acid, prevents diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 49(6), 1426-1430.
  24. Raquel Hontecillas DVM, PhD, et al. Activation of PPAR γ and α by Punicic Acid Ameliorates Glucose Tolerance and Suppresses Obesity-Related Inflammation. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 28:2, 184-195
  25. Vladimir Badmaev, M.D. et al. Piperine, an Alkaloid Derived from Black Pepper, Increases Serum Response of Beta-Carotene During 14-days of Oral Beta-Carotene Supplementation. Nutrition Research (1999) 19(3) 381-388
  26. Fernie, C. E., Dupont, I. E., Scruel, O., Carpentier, Y. A., Sébédio, J. L., & Scrimgeour, C. M. (2004). Relative absorption of conjugated linoleic acid as triacylglycerol, free fatty acid and ethyl ester in a functional food matrix.European journal of lipid science and technology, 106(6), 347-354.
  27. Gaullier JM, et al. Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for 1 yr reduces body fat mass in healthy overweight humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Jun;79(6):1118-25.
  28. Raff M et al. Conjugated linoleic acids reduce body fat in healthy postmenopausal women. J Nutr. 2009 Jul;139(7):1347-52. doi: 10.3945/jn.109.104471. Epub 2009 Jun 3.
  29. Riserus U, Basu S, Jovinge S, Fredrikson GN, Arnlov J, Vessby B. Supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid causes isomer-dependent oxidative stress and elevated C-reactive protein: a potential link to fatty acid-induced insulin resistance. Circulation 2002;106:1925–9.

 

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