Reasons for a "lifebuoy" in the abdomen area

What is the first thing that comes to mind when we hear "lifebuoy"? A buoyant support for keeping a person afloat in water, right? But we want to talk about another "lifebuoy" in the form of a fat layer around the belly and waist. To be precise - where it comes from and how it affects the body.

This stubborn belly fat is related to the hormone cortisol. Study done by British scientists showed the effect of cortisol on body mass index and waist circumference: out of 2,527 middle-aged and elderly women and men, cortisol levels were higher than normal in people with the abdominal obesity.

Cortisol release is triggered by stress. For example, you may have missed an important business meeting or been fired from your job. This kind of events make the body to release cortisol into the bloodstream. Cortisol levels build up slow and remain in the blood for a long time.

Here's how cortisol affects our body in a situation of a stressful kind:

• Provokes a high level of sugar in the blood, not allowing it to get inside the cells
• Destroys the proteins of the immune system
• It suppresses the feeling of pain (the feeling comes later, when the body back into a state of calm)

In other words, cortisol has an extremely negative effect experiencing stress, which we have to deal with on a daily basis. Constantly staying a stressed state, the body keeps producing this hormone. As a result, that can lead to the development of some serious diseases, such as diabetes, atherosclerosis and vascular diseases.

Let's have a look at the way how cortisol and the cause of "lifebuoy" are connected. The increase in cortisol levels is followed by the transition of fat to the cells in the abdominal area, since this is the area where many hormone receptors are. This contributes to the maturation of fat cells, which are commonly called "stress fat".

You need to try to reduce stressful situations to a minimum. In this case, you will protect yourself from the undesirable effects of cortisol and that "lifebuoy" that is so hard to get rid of. And another good prevention method would be proper nutrition, physical activity, adequate hydration and massage.