How to beat BELLY FAT

How to spot it and lose it - and give your wellbeing a massive boost in the process

- TANYA PEAREY

It's one of midlife's annoying quirks - the gradual growth of that spare tyre. But although it's all too common, gaining weight around our middles isn't a natural or inevitable part of ageing. And our increasing belly fat is more than just an irritation. It can be a danger to our health - the visceral fat that we store around our middles in close proximity to your internal organs can literally be a killer.

Fat stored here, around the liver, stomach and intestines, causes damage and raises your risk of preventable diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, kidney failure and cancer.

'The kind of fat that gathers here is metabolically active, compared with the inactive fat on your hips,' says Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD, nutritionist and author of Natural Solutions to Diabetes (£12.77, Lifestyles Press). 'It operates like an endocrine gland, producing a number of compounds - and it's these that affect your health.

'Extra fat cells send out signals to the rest of the body,' explains Natasha Paton, a specialist at Cancer Research UK. These signals can tell our cells to divide more often, which increases the chances of cancer cells developing.'

AND IF YOU MUST SNACK...

Have an apple. 'It's full of fibre to help you feel fuller for longer,' says nutritionist Rob Hobson. 'Pectin, the fibre found in apples, also helps to regulate bacteria in the gut, which, in turn, may help to suppress weight gain and fat accumulation in the body.

YOUR BELLY-FAT RISK 

Find out how dangerous your belly fat could be by measuring your waist-to-hip ratio.

Take a tape measure and measure around your hips at the widest point, including your bum.