Reason
According to Dr. Vaishali Deshmukh, Head of Endocrinology at Deenanath Mangeshkar Deshmukh Clinic & Research Centre (Pune, India), many people accumulate belly fat even though their body is still thin.
This could be due to a number of reasons:
Genetics and body structure: Some people are thin but easily accumulate belly fat or visceral fat.
This is a common phenomenon in people with an "ectomorph" body type (thin, slender) who easily accumulate visceral fat.
Unbalanced diet: Even if you don't consume a lot of calories, if your diet is lacking in nutrients (processed foods, low in fiber, low in protein), you can still accumulate belly fat.
Belly fat (especially visceral fat) may not be accurately reflected by weight or BMI.
Sedentary: Although thin, a sedentary lifestyle reduces fat burning, making it easy to accumulate belly fat, especially in the elderly.
Stress and hormones: Stress increases cortisol, the stress hormone, which leads to belly fat accumulation in thin people.
Lack of sleep: Poor quality sleep affects belly fat accumulation.
Visceral fat: Belly fat includes subcutaneous fat and visceral fat (surrounding internal organs).
How to control excessive fat accumulation in thin people
Dr. Deshmukh instructs that treatment focusing on improving muscle and bone mass and reducing fat mass, especially visceral fat, is essential.
In addition, good nutrition, exercise, adequate sleep, and dealing with mental health and stress are all equally important.
You need to eat more plant-based foods that contain healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, lean proteins such as fish, poultry, low-fat dairy, whole grains and high-fiber plant foods, such as non-starchy vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds. Eliminate refined sugars, processed grains and red meat from your daily diet.
Building muscle is key for people with obesity due to muscle wasting. Therefore, you should try strength training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to build muscle, which will effectively support reducing body fat and increasing muscle mass.
