8. The “Chicken and Egg” Problem with Belly Fat
The involvement of insulin resistance and stress doesn’t end there–they interact with belly fat in a continuous manner which leads researchers to question which really comes first: the belly fat, the insulin resistance, or the cortisol.
While insulin resistance may lead to an increased tendency to store belly fat, we now know that belly fat itself is a leading cause of insulin resistance! The primary way belly fat contributes to insulin resistance, and often diabetes, is by creating an innate source of free fatty acids.
[quote align=”left” color=”#999999″]Nobody begins with belly fat, so diet and stress will certainly play a role in the formation of it.[/quote]
The ease with which belly fat releases free fatty acids is a double-edged sword–if you are trying to lose your belly fat, it makes it much easier, but if you are not working to reduce it then all that happens is your blood becomes naturally loaded with free fats which are being continuously released and restored.
These fats work in the same way they would were you to eat a high-fat meal, except now they don’t just rise after you eat, they are always high!
The problem with this is that while the body may be able to fend off occasional binges, when blood levels are constantly high then insulin is always being counteracted, and the body releases a constant stream of increased insulin.
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