What is inflammation and it's relationship with belly fat.

Definition: Inflammation is the result of natural defense activities undertaken by the white blood cells and cellular secretions called cytokines in order to fight disease, injury, infection and irritation. Symptoms:

The most common symptoms of inflammation are swelling, heat, pain and redness in all or some areas of the body. Also prevalent are symptoms such as: -indigestion - food intolerance's and digestive problems causes your gut to leak toxins back into your blood stream. This hampers fat loss period. - Dry eyes - Weight gain - Shortness of breath - Increase in allergic reactions

These are very common side effect of inflammation.

Why is inflammation bad?

When the natural balance of the immune system is disrupted, it tends to go into overdrive; this is when our 'good' cells, which are crucial for the optimum functioning of our bodies, are also attacked. This imbalance results in many underlying factors, one of which is a bulky waistline.

Chronic inflammation has been linked to chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, arthritis, diabetes, and even obesity. The latter case is where a bigger waistline is closely linked to inflammation.

In a society where expanding waistlines are becoming more commonplace, inflammation cases have increased and a huge percent of the population does not even know that their weight issues are linked to this state!

Why the size of your waistline matters more than your overall weight?

Results published in Circulation magazine of a study conducted on 44,000 nurses established that elevated waistlines of women even with 'normal weight', irrespective of BMI (Body Mass Index), placed them at a higher risk of dying from heart disease than women who were significantly overweight, but had a narrower waistline to body weight ratio.

A waistline measurement of or exceeding 34.5 for a woman, and 40 for a man, is considered the basis for abdominal obesity caused due to waistlines which have not been kept in check thanks to a poor diet and exercise routine.

Several clinical studies have shown that the incidence of inflammation has been reduced drastically when a person's waistline shrunk over time. Abdominal fat is a glaring sign there could also be excessive fat build up around your organs, which, in turn, is thanks to protein and hormone releases caused due to toxic inflammation.

This leads us to survey how we should strive to maintain a svelte, healthy and 'tight' waistline to ward off not just the fat, but also stop the never-ending cycle that runs between chronic inflammation and a bulging waistline.

Fast Food Nation

We are probably the unhealthiest species of modern man that ever lived. Neanderthal Man would have had a laughing fit when he observed our diet pumped with nothing but trans fats, gluten, refined carbs and sugars; add to that, a largely sedentary lifestyle that only seems to make our waistlines blow up like helium balloons.

Waistline measurement is a prime indicator of visceral fat, which should be combated through a balanced diet comprising:

1. Omega 3 fatty acids found in fish, walnuts and flaxseed; avoid red meat.

2. Fresh, 'colorful' fruits and vegetables such as your greens and orange, red and yellow foods.

3. Plenty of water, herbs and a cut down on caffeine and all the bad foods... you know what they are.

The importance of exercise in this regard cannot be stressed upon enough. More specifically, focus on exercises which tone down your waistline, such as:

1. Core conditioning exercises

2. Interval Training

3. Exercises and sports that depend on a lot of lateral movement, like martial arts, hockey, soccer and basketball.

What else you can do

Apart from nourishing your body with good food and exercise, get enough sleep and try to lead a stress free life.

It has been found that increased stress levels and inadequate sleep not only encourage inflammation, but also boost the build up of fat in your tummy area and contribute to a growing waistline.

So make sure you include some relaxation time in your routine, get good sleep, eat healthy food and exercise properly; because when you do, you can finally bid adieu to that generous waistline and to inflammation as well.