A large-scale study recently published in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine has clarified the link between excess belly fat and chronic pain, especially in women.
This result is drawn from data from more than 32,000 participants in the UK Biobank data warehouse, showing that belly fat is not only a cosmetic factor but also a potential cause of serious health problems.
According to experts, belly fat, especially visceral fat (VAT), is highly inflammatory, releasing inflammatory biological molecules, increasing the body's sensitivity to pain.
Nutritionist Kanikka Malhotra (India) shared with Indian Express that this feature makes visceral fat a factor that promotes chronic musculoskeletal pain, such as fibromyalgia, especially in women due to the dominance of hormones such as estrogen in the process of distributing and metabolizing fat.
In addition to inflammation, belly fat also causes mechanical pressure on the joints and spine.
Dr. Suranjit Chatterjee, senior consultant in internal medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital (India), emphasized: "Overweight increases the burden on the musculoskeletal system, causing or worsening diseases such as arthritis, chronic back pain and other metabolic disorders".
In addition to chronic pain, belly fat is also closely related to a series of other health problems such as metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, fatty liver, cancer, and even affecting fertility and quality of life.
To prevent and control these effects, Dr. Chatterjee recommends a healthy lifestyle: eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and monitor waist circumference in parallel with BMI. For cases of chronic pain caused by obesity, medical intervention from internal medicine treatment to weight loss surgery will be necessary.
Belly fat is not only a physical problem but also a potential health warning sign.
Proactively controlling your body weight, especially your abdominal area, is an important key to protecting you from persistent pain and a variety of other health risks.
