Dr Zoe Williams discusses visceral fat on This Morning

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Visceral fat sits within the abdominal cavity, which houses the liver and intestines. When fat accumulates in this region, it can raise your risk of a host of health complications. It is strongly associated with an increased risk of heart disease.

Fortunately, simple dietary tweaks can reduce a build-up of visceral fat.

Research has explored the most optimal combinations for eradicating visceral fat.

According to a study published in the journal Nutrients, two breakfast staples can burn the belly fat when consumed in tandem.

The study aimed to investigate the association between daily consumption of coffee or green tea, with and without habitual bread consumption for breakfast.

The study population consisted of 3539 participants (1239 males and 2300 females).

Researchers monitored and evaluated the associations of daily coffee and green tea consumption with the prevalence of obesity, visceral obesity, and metabolic syndrome throughout the study.

Metabolic syndrome is the medical term for a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension) and obesity.

At the end of the study, coffee consumption was associated with significantly lower proportions of visceral obesity and metabolic syndrome.

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On the other hand, green tea was not associated with visceral obesity or metabolic syndrome.

The combination of daily drinking coffee and eating bread at breakfast time was associated with “significantly” lower proportions of obesity, the researchers wrote.

“Coffee consumption was significantly associated with lower visceral adipose tissue and lower proportions of visceral obesity, but the same was not true for green tea consumption,” they concluded.

“Furthermore, in combination with coffee consumption, the addition of eating bread at breakfast time significantly lowered proportions of visceral obesity and metabolic syndrome, although there was no interaction between coffee and bread.”

General dietary tips

If you want to reduce your belly fat, you’ll need to burn more calories (energy) than you consume, and eat the right kinds of food.

According to Bupa, the following can help you to achieve this goal:

• Make sure you eat a balanced diet. Try to eat at least five portions of fruit and veg each day, and include higher-fibre starchy foods in meals
• Have some reduced-fat dairy or soya drinks fortified in calcium
• Eat more beans, pulses, fish and eggs
• Eat small amounts of unsaturated oil
• Drink six to eight glasses of water each day
• Avoid adding salt or sugar to your meals.

“And finally, cut out sports drinks, sugar sweetened drinks and other foods that have a lot of added sugar in them,” advises Bupa.

“Be aware that low-fat options might have high amounts of added sugar in them.”

To maximise the belly fat-busting benefits of eating well, you should engage in regular physical exercise.

“The starting point for bringing weight under control, in general, and combating abdominal fat, in particular, is regular moderate-intensity physical activity,” advises Harvard Health.

According to the health body, you should do at least 30 minutes per day (and perhaps up to 60 minutes per day) to control weight and lose belly fat.

“Strength training (exercising with weights) may also help fight abdominal fat.”

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