Visceral fat is usually found in important organs like heart, lungs, intestines and kidneys and form a gel like lining over these organs. The big problem with visceral fat is it is hard to differentiate with the subcutaneous fat, since visceral fat is present in the mid section and is not pronounced as subcutaneous fat which is present just under the skin and more pronounced. However visceral fat has the ability to cause many serious diseases to us. Since this fat is present near the important internal organs, it can cause diseases like arthritis, cancers, and type II diabetes, dementia, and heart disease, high level of cholesterol, obesity and even heart stroke. Studies have also found that this fat also obstructs normal function of hormone producing glands. This fat also causes immune system to produce proteins known as cytokines which hinder interaction between cells of the body.
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Cytokines accumulate in major organs in the body which in turn can cause major affect on blood cells that provide nutrition to the body. This affects the signal system which sends signals to organs producing insulin, blood pressure and even the process of blood clotting. Main causes of such fat accumulation are bad diet choices which consists of carbohydrates, sugars and processed foods and combination of this diet with bad life style and less physical exercise. Visceral fat is much harder to burn off when compared to subcutaneous fat.
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