Visceral fat is considered harmful because it’s stored in the abdominal cavity next to many major organs in the body, such as the liver, stomach and intestines. And if visceral fat is left to build-up, it can increase the risk of serious health conditions, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
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A poor diet can lead to high levels of visceral fat, so making changes to the food you’re eating and following a diet plan is recommended.
But with so many diet plans to choose from, from the paleo diet to the dukan diet, which diet has been found to be best for getting rid of visceral fat?
Low-carb diets have been found to be an effective way to reduce visceral fat.
A number of studies have shown low-carb diets are more effective at reducing visceral fat than low-fat diets.
One eight-week study involving 69 overweight men and women found participants who followed a low-carb diet lost 10 percent more visceral fat and 4.4 percent more total fat than those on a low-fat diet.
But there are different variations of low-carb diets, and one of the most effective at getting rid of visceral fat has been shown to be the keto diet.
The keto, or ketogenic diet, is a very low-carb diet. It drastically reduces carb intake and replaces it with fat.
This puts the body in a natural metabolic state called ketosis.
A study on 28 overweight and obese adults found those who followed a keto diet lost more fat, especially visceral fat, than those following a low-fat diet.
The participants did this while eating roughly 300 more calories per day.
The keto diet doesn’t just focus on banishing visceral fat – it can help with overall weight loss.
One study found people on a ketogenic diet lost 2.2 times more weight than those on a calorie-restricted low-fat diet.
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And another study found people on the keto diet lost three times more weight than those on the diet recommended by Diabetes UK.
Foods to avoid on the keto diet
Foods high in carbohydrates should be limited on the keto diet. Five examples include:
- Sugary foods like cake and ice-cream
- Root vegetables like potatoes
- Unhealthy fats like mayonnaise
- Pasta
- Alcohol
Foods you can eat on the keto diet include:
- Seafood
- Low-carb vegetables
- Cheese
- Avocados
- Meat
- Eggs
- Olive oil
- Nuts and seeds
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