Smoking tobacco to lose weight? According to the study, this bad habit will, on the contrary, make you “gain belly fat.”

As a rule, smokers have lower body weight than non-smokers. But they also have more abdominal fat and body fat, according to researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. intuitive.

What is visceral fat?

Visceral fat is fat located deep in the abdominal cavity. It surrounds important organs such as the stomach, liver and intestines. Therefore, it is different from subcutaneous fat, which is located just under the skin. But it is associated with a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and dementia.

While working on several studies looking at genes associated with smoking habits and body fat distribution, the authors noticed that “Lifelong smoking can lead to increased abdominal fat. Upon further analysis, we also found that the type of fat that increases is most likely visceral fat.”

Another important element”The effect of smoking on abdominal fat appears to occur independently of other factors such as socioeconomic status or alcohol consumption.“.

“Invisible” fat

The problem with visceral fat is that, unlike love handles, it is invisible and can cause serious complications. Thus, a person with a normal body mass index may well have high levels of visceral fat.

So how do you know if you have it? As Livi health centers note on their website: “The most obvious indicator of excess visceral fat is an apple-shaped figure, in which the waist appears wider than the hips.

Measuring your waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) can also be effective. To calculate it, divide your waist size by your hip size. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), to avoid complications, the waist-to-hip ratio should not be higher than 0.85 for women and 0.90 for men.

The best way to get rid of visceral fat is to lead a healthy lifestyle. In short, by adopting a balanced diet, engaging in physical activity and therefore… quitting smoking!