Excess fat is unhealthy in anyone. The visceral adipose tissue located deep in the central/abdominal area of the body, however, is especially dangerous because it creates a deep layer of fat around vital organs. “Increases in central fat more readily support processes that cause heart disease and metabolic syndrome” (McArdle et al., 2015). It is also known that, “An increased waist girth...may cripple the body’s ability to mobilize and/or utilize insulin, setting the stage for type 2 diabetes and heart disease” (McArdle, et al., 2015). The good news is that if this excess fat is lost through lifestyle changes, the effects of this can be drastically improved if not completely reversed. “Even a modest weight reduction improves insulin sensitivity and blood lipid profile, and prevents or delays diabetes onset in high-risk individuals” (McArdle et al., 2015).  

There is a strong physiological link between visceral adipose tissue and cardiometabolic disorders although the specific link is not very clear. One study tried to determine the causation or correlation between visceral fat and insulin resistance. It was stated, “...the observation of a link between abdominal obesity and insulin resistance does not mean that the former causes the latter. It could mean that insulin resistance causes abdominal obesity, or that both abdominal obesity and insulin resistance co-correlate with some other factor” (Frayn, K., 2000). Another article stated, “Visceral adiposity is correlated with accumulation of excess lipid in liver, and results in cell autonomous impairment in insulin signaling” (Hardy et al., 2012). Because visceral fat is “known as ‘active fat’, it influences how hormones function in the body” (Medical News Today, 2019). Furthermore, “Substances released by visceral fat, including free fatty acids, enter the portal vein and travel to the liver, where they can influence the production of blood lipids” (Harvard Medical School, 2019). This can lead to and increase in LDL cholesterol and cause hypertension and coronary heart disease if left untreated.   

Although there is conflicting information about the specific links between visceral adipose tissue and metabolic disorders, it is known that reducing visceral adipose tissue through healthy diet and regular exercise is the best solution to preventing and correcting cardiometabolic disorders.    

References

Frayn, K., (2000). Visceral fat and insulin resistance - causative or correlative? British Journal of Nutrition, 83(S1), S71-S77. doi: 10.1017/S0007114500000982. Retrieved from: https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/762C6034F2BEAF4605A5C699CA78B052/S0007114500000982a.pdf/visceral_fat_and_insulin_resistance_causative_or_correlative.pdf 

Hardy, O. T., Czech, M. P., & Corvera, S. (2012). What causes the insulin resistance underlying obesity?. Current opinion in endocrinology, diabetes, and obesity, 19(2), 81–87. doi:10.1097/MED.0b013e3283514e103. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4038351/  

Harvard Medical School (2019). Abdominal fat and what to do about it: Visceral fat more of a health concern than subcutaneous fat. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/abdominal-fat-and-what-to-do-about-it  

Medical News Today (2019). What is the best way to get rid of visceral fat? Retrieved from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320929.php  

McArdle, W., Katch, F., & Katch, V., (2015). Exercise Physiology: Nutrition, Energy, and Human Performance (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health.