Visceral Fat: Risks, Causes, How to Reduce & How to Measure

Visceral fat is the type of fat that builds up deep inside the abdominal cavity, surrounding organs like the liver, pancreas, stomach, and intestines. Because it sits so close to these vital structures, it is strongly linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke.

This type of fat tends to accumulate when lifestyle habits are not ideal, especially a diet high in sugar, saturated fat, and ultra-processed foods combined with low levels of physical activity. These factors can encourage the body to store excess fat in the abdominal region rather than under the skin.

Adopting healthier habits is the best way to prevent or reduce visceral fat. Regular physical activity, balanced eating, and limiting high-fat and sugary foods all play an important role in lowering disease risk and supporting overall health.

Risks of having visceral fat

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the main risks associated with visceral fat include:

• Heart disease, such as heart attack, atherosclerosis, and stroke

• Type 2 diabetes

• Liver failure

• Breast cancer or colorectal cancer

• Alzheimer’s disease

• High blood pressure

Large amounts of visceral fat can also promote insulin resistance, poor sleep quality, and elevated cortisol levels. These changes may contribute to weight gain and increased abdominal circumference.

Anyone with signs of visceral fat buildup should consider regular follow-ups with a cardiologist to help prevent cardiovascular complications.

Main causes

Visceral fat often develops due to physical inactivity and a diet high in sugar and saturated or trans fats. Chronic stress and poor-quality or insufficient sleep can also raise cortisol levels, which may further increase this type of fat.

Other contributing factors include aging, hormonal changes, especially during menopause, and genetic predisposition, which can influence how the body stores fat.

Ideal visceral fat

There is no standardized ideal percentage of visceral fat within total body fat. However, keeping visceral fat levels low is important because excess amounts are linked to a higher risk of heart attack, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and fatty liver disease.

Visceral fat can be evaluated using methods such as bioimpedance measurements, abdominal circumference, or imaging tests like CT scans or MRI.

How to lose or reduce visceral fat

To reduce visceral fat, adopting healthier lifestyle habits is essential, such as:

1. Diet

A diet geared toward reducing visceral fat should prioritize fiber-rich foods while limiting sugar and saturated fat. These choices help improve metabolism, control appetite, and reduce inflammation.

Foods recommended for a balanced diet include:

• Fruits like apples, pears, strawberries, kiwi, and pineapple

• Leafy greens such as Swiss chard, spinach, lettuce, kale, and arugula

• Vegetables like pumpkin, celery, zucchini, cucumber, beet, eggplant, tomato, sweet potato, garlic, and onion

• Lean protein sources including fish, chicken, eggs, tofu, and turkey

• Low-fat dairy products such as low-fat milk, yogurt, and white cheeses

• Whole grains like brown rice, whole-grain pasta, and whole-grain bread

• Nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, chia seeds, flaxseed, and pumpkin or sunflower seeds

It is also important to avoid ultra-processed foods and those with empty calories, such as sausages, hamburgers, and hot dogs. Fried and fast foods including pizza, pre-cooked meals, and French fries can further encourage abdominal fat storage.

Sugary products and foods containing trans fats should also be limited, including cookies, cakes, sweets, chocolate, sodas, mayonnaise, processed sauces, cream cheese, and yellow cheeses.

2. Exercise

Regular physical activity helps speed up metabolism and encourages fat burning. Aerobic exercises are especially effective because they improve cardiovascular health, enhance physical conditioning, and support muscle development.

Examples include walking, running, swimming, cycling, and jumping rope. Ideally, these activities should be done for at least 30 minutes daily or 60 minutes three times per week.

How to measure visceral fat

Methods commonly used to estimate visceral fat and cardiovascular risk include:

• Waist circumference: measured at the level of the navel without contracting the abdomen. In women, values over 80 cm indicate increased risk; in men, values over 94 cm indicate the same

• BMI (body mass index): calculated by dividing weight (kg) by height (m²). A BMI over 30 indicates obesity, which is often associated with higher visceral fat levels

• Waist-to-height ratio: calculated by dividing waist circumference by height. A result above 0.5 suggests greater abdominal fat and cardiovascular risk

• Waist-to-hip ratio: calculated by dividing waist circumference by hip circumference. A value of 0.85 or higher in women or 0.90 or higher in men indicates increased visceral fat and elevated cardiometabolic risk

Bioimpedance is a noninvasive method that estimates body composition, including total body fat percentage, using a low electrical current. Some advanced devices also calculate a visceral fat index, with values below 10 generally considered healthy.

Other measurement options include DEXA scans, MRI, and CT scans, although these tend to be less accessible due to cost.

Frequently asked questions

Some frequently asked questions about visceral fat include:

1. Are there medications that eliminate visceral fat?

There are currently no medications that directly eliminate visceral fat. However, some medications approved for weight management can help reduce overall body weight, which may indirectly lower visceral fat.

This reduction is considered a positive secondary effect of treating overweight or obesity.

Examples include semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), liraglutide (Saxenda), orlistat (Xenical), and phentermine/topiramate. These medications should only be used with medical supervision.

2. Does liposuction remove visceral fat?

Liposuction removes fat located under the skin, but it does not remove visceral fat, which is found deeper in the abdominal cavity around the organs.

For this reason, liposuction is not an appropriate treatment for reducing visceral fat or lowering metabolic-disease risk.

In some cases, visceral fat may even increase after liposuction if healthy habits are not maintained. When fewer fat cells exist under the skin, excess calories from high-fat or high-sugar diets combined with inactivity tend to be stored around internal organs instead.