Only 5% of People Know: 5 Science-Backed Ways to Slim Your Belly (No Dieting or Exercise Required)
If the fat around your belly just won’t go away, it’s probably not because you’re exercising too little or eating too much. In many cases, visceral fat is to blame! This article summarizes solutions shared by experts and well-known figures from around the world, presenting 5 science-backed methods to reduce visceral fat. Let’s take a look！
Quick Summary
01 Signs of Excess Visceral Fat: Thin limbs with a large waist, high waist-to-hip ratio (greater than 0.9 for men, greater than 0.85 for women).
02 Risks of Visceral Fat: Increases the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, and raises all-cause mortality.
03 5 Ways to Reduce Visceral Fat: Brush your teeth thoroughly, supplement with Akkermansia muciniphila (“slim” gut bacteria), take cold-water baths, manage stress and emotions, and supplement with Omega-3 fatty acids
Visceral Fat: The Hidden Health Killer
Why is it that even if your limbs aren’t overweight, the fat around your belly just won’t go away? A study published in a JAMA subsidiary journal analyzed over 380,000 adults and found that among three obesity indicators — Body Mass Index (BMI), Fat Mass Index (FMI), and Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) — the waist-to-hip ratio had the strongest association with all-cause mortality, independent of BMI. How strong is this association? For every one standard deviation increase in waist-to-hip ratio, all-cause mortality increases by 41%, with men facing an even higher risk.
What is Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR)? As the name suggests, it is the ratio of your waist circumference to hip circumference. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a healthy WHR of no more than 0.9 for men and 0.85 for women. Values above this indicate abdominal fat accumulation.
Visceral fat is a type of fat in the human body. A certain amount is necessary for normal bodily functions. Unlike subcutaneous fat, which you can see and feel, visceral fat surrounds internal organs. It acts like a stabilizer, providing support, stability, and protection for our organs.
People who are not overweight and have slim limbs but a large waist circumference often have excess visceral fat (greater than 90 cm for men, 85 cm for women). While a certain amount of visceral fat is necessary, too much can be extremely dangerous. A Stanford-trained physician, clearly points out in his book Outlive that visceral fat increases the risk of cancer and cardiovascular problems.
So what can be done? We’ve gathered insights from experts and well-known figures worldwide and summarized 5 practical strategies that ordinary people can follow, making it easier to take action and stick with them.
Reduce Visceral Fat: Better Shape + Better Health
01 Brush Your Teeth Thoroughly
In a study involving 158 participants aged 35–74, researchers found that poorer dental health was associated with larger visceral fat volume. Inflammation in the teeth can spread throughout the body, increasing overall inflammation, and can also disrupt the gut microbiota by reducing beneficial bacteria and increasing harmful bacteria. Numerous studies have shown that the gut microbiota affects abdominal fat accumulation and insulin resistance.
02 Supplement with Probiotics
In addition to brushing your teeth thoroughly, you can also supplement with probiotics to maintain a healthy gut microbiota. A Stanford-trained physician, shared his personal supplement list, highlighting Akkermansia muciniphila (AKK) as one of the most important probiotics. Naturally found in the gut lining, AKK plays a crucial role in metabolism. It grows within the gut mucus layer and can directly influence key physiological functions, including immunity, metabolism, and inflammation.
If your body lacks sufficient AKK, toxins, fat, and sugar can accumulate in the gut, leading to metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. Conversely, many people with a naturally lean physique or healthy body composition often have adequate levels of AKK, which is why it’s sometimes called the “slim bacteria.”
In a human clinical trial published in a Nature subsidiary journal, participants who took AKK supplements for 12 consecutive weeks experienced remarkable results: insulin sensitivity increased by an average of ~30%, body weight decreased by ~2.27 kg, fat mass decreased by ~1.37 kg, hip circumference reduced by 2.63 cm, waist circumference reduced by 1.56 cm, and total cholesterol dropped by ~8.68%. This truly makes AKK a game-changer for abdominal obesity!
However, this probiotic cannot be obtained directly from food, and a high-fat, high-sugar diet can further reduce its levels. As a result, many leading scientists and wealthy individuals have long been taking AKK supplements. If you have excess belly fat or abnormal health indicators during check-ups, it’s highly recommended to consider adding this to your regimen.
03 Take Cold Showers
Cold-water baths can relieve muscle damage and peripheral fatigue, and they also help convert white fat into brown fat. Brown fat is more metabolically active, helping to burn more calories.
(💡 About white fat and brown fat: White fat serves as the body’s energy storage, storing excess energy as fat. Brown fat, on the other hand, contains a large number of mitochondria in its cells, which convert energy from food into heat.)
Stanford professor shares that he takes a cold-water bath every morning. Additionally, former White House physician and longevity expert has mentioned that after his daily strength training, he soaks in 10–15°C water for about 10 minutes.
If you cannot tolerate or stick to cold-water baths, you can also use supplements to support fat reduction, such as spermidine. Studies in mice have shown that spermidine can reduce visceral fat by activating cellular autophagy and increasing brown fat, thereby accelerating glucose and lipid metabolism in fat tissues. The mechanism is almost identical to that of cold-water baths, but much easier and more convenient.
04 Stress Management
Stress can lead to elevated cortisol levels, and chronically high cortisol promotes fat storage, especially in the abdominal area. That’s why people who gain weight from stress often end up with a larger belly. Besides exercise, meditation, and other stress-relief methods, many experts and public figures also take supplements that support emotional well-being, such as Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha).
Research has shown that Ashwagandha extract can significantly reduce cortisol levels in the blood, helping to ease stress. In a small study with 58 participants, those who took 250 mg or 600 mg of Ashwagandha extract for 8 weeks experienced significant reductions in perceived stress and cortisol levels compared to the placebo group, alleviating stress and anxiety. Additionally, participants taking Ashwagandha supplements showed notable improvements in sleep quality compared to the placebo group.
A Silicon Valley entrepreneur who spends $2 million a year on anti-aging, takes 600 mg of Ashwagandha every morning. This helps lower cortisol, reduce anxiety, and promote a calm state of mind.
05 Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Fish oil is a staple in the supplement routines of Stanford professors, medical doctors, and Silicon Valleyentrepreneurs, primarily to increase Omega-3 fatty acid intake, which helps combat chronic inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce visceral fat accumulation.
Stanford professor includes 2–3 grams of EPA daily in his routine. He emphasizes that fat is one of the most important nutrients for brain health — and fat isn’t always bad, especially for the brain, because Omega-3 can slow cognitive decline. He recommends that everyone aim to consume at least 1 gram of EPA Omega-3 per day.
Daily Supplement List of the Professor
Additionally, studies have reported that dietary Omega-3 fatty acids selectively promote the formation of new fat cells, allowing them to store saturated fatty acids. This helps maintain healthy fat tissue homeostasis, improves insulinsensitivity, and reduces inflammation in adipose tissue.
References:
[1]https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2809724
[2]https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/3/1699
[3]https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-019-0495-2
[4]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955286324000032
[5]https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6979308/
[6]https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)31226-7