Phil:

You're description of dear old dad leads me to believe he has a lot of visceral belly fat.

There are 2 basic kinds of fat that people need to be concerned with, subcutaneous fat and visceral fat.

Subcutaneous fat is on the surface of you're body between you're skin and muscle and can be pinched with you're index finger and thumb. This type of fat is the least of you're worries because it can be lost fairly easy with the addition of a good workout regimen and a sensible diet. It's the reason most people go to the gym.

Visceral fat is fat that deposits itself deep inside the body around organs. It often attaches itself inside the belly giving the appearance of a rock hard gut that's shaped like a keg of beer. When in fact it was probable a keg of beer that helped it get it distorted shape in the first place.

Visceral fat is much more dangerous than subcutaneous fat.

Studies have shown that people with visceral fat are much more likely to suffer from heart disease, diabetes, stroke and many other serious health problems. It's also much more difficult to lose this type of fat because it's embeds itself deep in the body rather than on the surface.

Most people that have visceral fat are very inactive and spend little to no time exercising. They are also known to eat a diet very high in fat. Drinking alcohol and smoking is also very common habits for people that carry high amounts of this dangerous type of fat.

The good news is visceral fat can be reduced through a change of lifestyle. Adding a moderate exercise program and eating a healthier diet can help. Cutting back on drinking alcohol and smoking will also make a big difference.

If you're father seems to fit in the above criteria you may want to share this article with him before its too late. Although I can't be sure whether he suffers from visceral body fat it's obviously worth looking into.

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