Aging and Belly Fat

As you grow older, your metabolism tends to slow down, and the amount of body fat you carry around tends to increase. Accumulation of extra fat isn’t a certainty. Some middle aged and older adults are able to keep fat levels low through diet and exercise. But for many, fat increases, and targets the midsection as you age. Menopause also increases the likelihood that you will gain weight in the mid-section.

Because a slowing metabolism is often accompanied by a drop in physical activity, the problem is often compounded. But regular vigorous physical activity coupled with a healthy diet will keep abdominal weight gain in check.

Hormones, Heredity and Belly Fat

Some people come from families that tend to accumulate fat in the midsection. Heredity is a strong predictor of belly fat accumulation. Hormonal changes after menopause sometimes alter the way the body breaks down and stores fat, causing fat cells in the abdomen to expand. Hormones such as cortisol, which is present in both women and men increase under stressful lifestyles, and high cortisol levels are also associated with accumulation of belly fat.

Why Belly Fat is Unhealthy

While you may find it more of an aesthetic problem, the belly fat that you can grab easily with your hand – subcutaneous or under the skin fat – is not as unhealthy as the fat that lies deeper within the abdomen, around your abdominal organs. This type of fat is known as visceral fat. Increasing levels of visceral fat are associated with heart disease and diabetes.

Slowing metabolism and lack of exercise can indirectly increase levels of visceral fat, as can shifting post-menopausal hormones, but heredity is the main determinant of whether you accumulate this deep level fat.

Visceral fat is unhealthy for several reasons. Too much of it increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer, colon cancer, high blood pressure, and gallbladder disease. The reason for many of these increased risks is that visceral fat cells, rather than lying dormant, produce hormones that can cause insulin resistance, which can eventually lead to type II diabetes. Some fat cells still produce estrogen after menopause, and while some estrogen eases the transition into menopause, too much of it is associated with increased heart disease.

Summary

While you may lament a thickening waistline as you age, the problems of increasing belly fat are more serious than just aesthetics. Fat located beneath the abdominal muscles secretes hormones that make conditions like type II diabetes and heart disease more likely. But you don’t have to simply accept this change as a normal part of aging. Just like when you were younger, regular exercise coupled with a healthy diet can help you keep belly fat under control and will have the side benefit of keeping you trim.

Common names for hoodia are “Bushman’s Hat” and “Queen of the Namib.” The species hoodia gordonii is the species being marketed for weight loss. In the wild it smells like rotten meat, and is pollinated by flies. It has been used for hundreds of years as an appetite suppressant for Kalahari Desert hunters embarking on long hunting trips. One theory of how hoodia works is that its active ingredient, known as P57, works on the brain, specifically regulating the availability of ATP in the hypothalamus, where appetite is regulated. Scientists believe that P57 acts on the brain in a manner like glucose, sending a message that you are full, even though you have not eaten. It has no known side effects, but the taste is considered very unpleasant and bitter.

Hoodia gordonii is marketed in a variety of forms, such as capsules, tablets, shakes, infusions, and “energy bars.”

News reports from CBS and the BBC cited research by Phytopharm on obese patients saying that obese people who took hoodia ate approximately 1,000 fewer calories per day than those that did not take it.
Hoodia alone is not the answer to weight problems. While it does suppress appetite, it will not make up for an unhealthy diet or curb “emotional” eating. Hoodia is said to work best when used with a healthy diet and exercise. It will not burn fat or build muscle. You still have to do that the old fashioned way, with cardiovascular exercise and weight training.

There are some populations that should not take hoodia. They include people with diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure, people with clotting disorders, people with anorexia or bulimia, pregnant or nursing mothers, and children.

Because the plant grows in extremely hot conditions and takes years to reach maturity, the active ingredient has a very limited supply. Phytopharm has a hoodia plantation in South Africa and is investigating farming methods to be able to cultivate the plant. The pharmaceutical firm Pfizer, which funded much of the hoodia research, determined that P57 would be too difficult to synthesize.

There is speculation that many of the so-called hoodia plants on the market today do not actually have any active hoodia, because of the rarity of the active compound and the difficulty of synthesizing it artificially. A study by Phytopharm reported that hoodia supplements from non South African purveyors of hoodia supplements only contained between 0.1 and 0.01 percent of the active ingredient claimed.