Herbs and Helpers ®

Herbal Services and Solutions | Herbalist | Supplier | Herbs

   Jul 16

Could daily dose of inulin combat TOXIC visceral fat?

EXPERTS believe inulin could combat the health risks of high levels of visceral fat.

Visceral fat surrounds internal organs and has been proven to be detrimental to health – with high levels of it restricting the function of major organs.

Scientists also show the fat, which is most visible around the middle, increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer and dementia.

However many people – including health conscious individuals who exercise regularly but don’t track levels of visceral fat like the easily measurable body mass index and weight loss don’t know how to monitor their levels.

But following a BBC health series How to Stay Young, in which presenter Angela Rippon was shocked to learn that she was at major risk of serious health conditions due to high levels of visceral fat, a medical expert has highlighted a way to reduce high levels of the fat through diet or supplementation.

One such research-based supplement is inulin, an insoluble fibre which bypasses absorption in the small intestine in order to reach the large intestine, undigested.

It is here bacteria feed on this ‘soluble fibre’ to produce short chain fatty acids (SFCAs), which have been proven to promote the loss of visceral fat, by increasing fat metabolism.

While inulin can be found naturally in foods such as chicory root, dandelion root, asparagus, bananas and wheat, these foods would need to be consumed in extremely large quantities to realise these benefits.

Dr Alejandro Palacios, medical science liaison for Probiotics International Ltd (Protexin), manufacturers of Lepicol suggests incorporating inulin into a daily diet with a supplement such as Lepicol which contains 30 per cent inulin alongside other fibres and probiotics.

Exercising regularly can help combat visceral fat levels
“A daily dose of inulin can really help to improve your health and lower the risk of major conditions,” he said.

“For many, visceral fat goes undetected and can be problematic, even for those not recognising themselves as overweight and appear healthy, especially as they age.

“It is not easy to get an effective dose of inulin through diet alone, so a supplement such as Lepicol can make a real difference.

“Results can be seen in a matter of weeks, especially when combined with an increase in physical activity and a healthier diet, and could mean the difference between life and premature death.”

High blood pressure, an increase in blood glucose levels and a higher than recommended hip to waist measurement are warning signs of higher levels of visceral fat.

The most certain way to see if you are storing excess visceral fat is to undergo an MRI scan.

Harvard University found around 10 per cent of our total fat is likely to be stored as visceral fat, therefore if you are carrying higher amounts of body fat than is recommended, it is therefore more likely that you are also storing more visceral fat than is healthy.

Source: Daily Express

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.