Check out the ‘drinking behaviors to shrink visceral fat at 50’ We must be careful to avoid treating all forms of body fat equally. For instance, subcutaneous fat, is a protective fat found just beneath the skin and in the area of your hips and thighs. This kind of fat isn’t nearly as harmful as visceral fat, which is the fat that surrounds the internal organs in your abdomen.
You can strive to lose the riskier fat by altering your diet, among other strategies. Even basic drinking habits can help reduce visceral fat so that you run fewer hazards from carrying too much of it.
A University of Illinois at Chicago study found a significant association between excess visceral fat and insulin resistance, metabolic illness, and an even higher risk of death. Additionally, according to Harvard Health, visceral fat is associated with lower levels of HDL cholesterol (the “good” sort) and greater levels of LDL cholesterol (the “bad” kind).
Anyone can be affected by this, but as you reach the age of 50, you might want to pay more attention to this kind of fat. For starters, as you age, your risk for heart disease and diabetes can rise, and higher levels of visceral fat can make these illnesses much more likely. Although it’s true that beyond age 65 your risk for heart disease increases, it’s actually best to start implementing healthy habits into your daily routine in your 50s so that by the time you’re 60 they’ll become second nature.
The fact that it generally gets harder to lose weight as you age due to a slower metabolism and loss of muscle mass is another reason to pay attention to your visceral fat levels after the age of 50. This means that maintaining a healthy level of visceral fat may need more effort and energy.
How can we regulate our visceral fat after the age of 50 bearing these things in mind? We discussed certain drinking habits that can be helpful with Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian, author of The First Time Mom’s Pregnancy Cookbook and Fueling Male Fertility, and a member of our Medical Expert Board.
It’s also critical to remember that, in addition to adopting exercise, getting enough sleep, and minimizing your stress, modifying your diet can greatly contribute to shedding visceral fat.
Drinking Behaviors To Shrink Visceral Fat at 50
1. Limit your consumption of soda
Even though it’s only one glass, a study in The Journal of Nutrition finds that drinking one soda daily is linked to higher visceral adipose tissue, also known as visceral fat.
Drinking soda after the age of 50 has two negative impacts because it has been shown to hasten the aging process. In addition to perhaps increasing the amount of fat around your abdominal organs, a study published in the American Public Health Association discovered that daily soda use was linked to nearly two more years of aging in healthy persons.
Even if having a Coke once in a while in your 50s is a totally acceptable pleasure, breaking the daily soda habit as soon as you can help reduce your risk of developing visceral fat and promote a generally healthier aging process.
2. Avoid drinking too much booze
Limiting your alcohol usage is typically beneficial for any form of weight loss due to the empty calories it might provide. Manaker cautions that this is particularly true with regard to visceral fat.
While the occasional cocktail is acceptable, Manaker warns that drinking too much alcohol might increase visceral fat storage and increase waist circumference. Stick to sparkling water or a mocktail instead.
As previously indicated, as you age, your body experiences changes in metabolism and muscle mass, which might affect your ability to maintain a healthy weight. By forming these habits in your 50s, you can combat visceral fat in your 60s and 70s, when your metabolism is even more sluggish, and maintaining a consistent workout regimen may be more challenging.
3. Drink green tea
One of the healthiest beverages you can consume is green tea. It is associated with weight loss in addition to lowering cancer risk, enhancing brain and dental health, and enhancing cognitive function. The potent components in this tea, known as polyphenols, have been shown to enhance metabolism, which can be particularly beneficial if metabolism starts to slow down in your 50s and 60s.
Additionally, individuals attempting to eliminate unhealthy belly fat will be happy to learn that, according to Manaker, “A study on Chinese people with extra abdominal fat indicated that green tea drinking over the course of 12 weeks was connected to visceral fat loss.”
4. Don’t overdo it with the artificial sweeteners
It seems sensible that when you’re attempting to lose weight, you would consider substituting artificial sweeteners for sugar or regular cola for diet options. Manaker regrettably advises that these sweeteners may potentially cause you to gain additional weight in your midsection.
When attempting to reduce their intake of sugar, “many people rely on artificial sweeteners, but consuming beverages with these sweeteners in excess may result in fat being deposited as visceral fat,” she warns.
If you’re now in your 50s, your metabolism will probably start to shift during the following ten to twenty years. Having said that, you might want to start cutting back on artificial sweeteners right away. You can use this to find other drinks you like and to stop the habit of drinking diet sodas or other beverages with artificial sweeteners.
5. Stick with water to stay hydrated
Finally, one of the simplest drinking practices to reduce visceral fat and control total weight reduction is staying hydrated. Drinking plain old water may be your best option if you’re trying to keep an eye on the building of visceral fat because it has no calories and doesn’t make you gain weight, according to Manaker.
New research demonstrates that drinking water and being hydrated is essential to good aging, even if it is not directly related to visceral fat or weight loss.
According to a recent study from The Lancet, severe dehydration may actually decrease lifespan and raise the chance of developing chronic diseases. Staying hydrated is a smart move if you’re in your fifties and hoping to lose visceral fat while also extending your life.
