Visceral fat is considered dangerous because of where it’s stored in the body – the abdominal cavity. This means the fat can grow around internal organs in the body, including the liver, pancreas and intestines, increasing the risk of serious health conditions including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A diet high in saturated fat can lead to visceral fat build-up, so focusing on what you’re eating to get rid of visceral fat is important. When it comes to the best visceral fat loss diet to follow, the keto diet has proven most effective.
The keto diet, short for ketogenic diet, reduces carbohydrate intake and replaces it with fat.
The reduction in carbohydrates puts the body into a metabolic state called ketosis.
When this happens, the body becomes efficient at burning fat for energy.
A number of studies have shown low-carb diets, like the keto diet, to be effective at reducing visceral fat – more so that low-fat diets.
An eight-week study including 69 overweight men and women, researchers found participants who followed a low-carb diet lost 10 per cent more visceral fat and 4.4 per cent more total fat than those on a low-fat diet.
The keto diet in particular has been shown to help get rid of visceral fat.