Are you thin but still have a large belly? That could be a sign that your body is accumulating visceral fat—the "invisible" but extremely dangerous type of fat. This article by Dr. Nguyen Giap will help you understand visceral fat and provide detailed, scientific, safe, and sustainably effective instructions on how to eliminate visceral fat.
Explanation of Visceral Fat in the Body
Visceral fat is a type of fat located deep within the abdominal cavity, surrounding organs such as the liver, intestines, and heart. Unlike subcutaneous fat, this type of fat cannot be seen with the naked eye but is the main factor leading to many serious conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and fatty liver.

In fact, many people have a normal or slightly thin build but a large, firm abdomen that is difficult to reduce—this is a typical sign of visceral fat accumulation. If not controlled early, this fat can severely diminish overall health and increase the risk of death from metabolic diseases.
- Causes metabolic disorders and insulin resistance.
- Increases bad cholesterol, leading to atherosclerosis.
- Affects the liver, heart, pancreas, and brain.
Based on the information above, you now have a better understanding of what visceral fat is, its causes, and effective, easy-to-apply methods for eliminating visceral fat right at home.
[Video of Dr. Nguyen Giap advising on liposuction to achieve a better body shape]
What is Visceral Fat? How to Distinguish it from Subcutaneous Fat
Visceral fat is the layer of fat surrounding the organs in the abdominal cavity. In contrast, subcutaneous fat lies directly beneath the epidermis and can be felt and seen with the naked eye.
- Subcutaneous fat: soft, pinchable, has less impact on health.
- Visceral fat: hard to get to know, dangerous because that cause inflammation and endocrine disorders.

Dấu hiệu cảnh báo cơ thể đang tích tụ nhiều mỡ nội tạng:
- Large and firm abdomen, even without significant weight gain.
- Visceral fat index (InBody) $> 10\%$.
- Waist circumference > 90cm (men) or > 80 cm (women).
To accurately measure the amount of visceral fat, you can use InBody devices, DEXA scans, or MRI. If the results show that visceral fat exceeds the safety threshold, consult specialized fat reduction methods for more detailed advice.
Causes of Visceral Fat Accumulation
Visceral fat doesn't just appear in overweight individuals; it can also exist in people with a normal physique. Understanding the causes helps you adjust your lifestyle appropriately to control this condition.
- A diet high in sugar, refined starches and bad fats: The habit of consuming too many foods that contain sugar, pastries, fresh water with gas, fried foods or refined white flour cause excess calories metabolism of visceral fat. The body can't burn off this energy, and accumulates around the liver, heart, small intestine.
- Lack of physical activity is a "silent culprit": Sitting at work for hours, walking infrequently, or not exercising significantly reduces the body's ability to burn fat. Low energy expenditure, combined with high calorie intake, is a direct cause of deep fat accumulation in the abdominal cavity.
- Stress and insomnia lasts: When stress, the body secretes the hormone cortisol-stimulating factor hoarding fat, especially visceral fat. Insomnia also increases the hormone ghrelin (an appetite) and a decrease in leptin (the satiety), causing you to eat more than usual.
- Hormonal imbalance and age factors: After age 30, the metabolic rate slows down, and sex hormone levels like estrogen or testosterone change, reducing the ability to burn fat. In menopausal women, fat often concentrates in the abdominal area instead of being evenly distributed as before.
- Genetic syndrome and TOFI (“skinny but much grease”): Some people are body structure, less subcutaneous fat, but work much visceral fat. This is the status TOFI (Thin Outside, Fat Inside), making people look “skinny”, but in reality, are a potential risk of serious health.

Consequences When Visceral Fat Exceeds Dangerous Thresholds
Visceral fat is not just “cosmetic problem” which is also the cause of mass chronic pathology dangerous if not controlled soon.
- Causes of cardiovascular disease and stroke: Visceral fat increases bad cholesterol (LDL), decrease good cholesterol (HDL), which leads to atherosclerosis, increased blood pressure and risk of myocardial infarction.
- Cause diabetes mellitus type 2: Fat around the organs secreted cytokines, insulin resistance, making blood glucose increased, high, easily lead to diabetes.
- Affects the liver and the digestive system: When the liver accumulates too much fat, the risk of liver steatosis and inflammation of the liver not due to alcohol increases.
- Increase the risk of cancer: A number of studies showed visceral fat increases the likelihood of suffering from colon cancer, liver cancer due to chronic inflammation and metabolic disorders.
- Influence the looks and psychological: Pot belly stomachwaist to make the body lose weight for self-esteem, affecting the quality of life and social relations.

Not only affects the health, visceral fat also makes waist ballooningreduced self-confidence and affect quality of life. If you ever failed to reduce belly perennial, please review how to lose belly fat perennial to adjust the right direction.
Effective Ways to Eliminate Visceral Fat at Home
1. Establish a Diet to Eliminate Visceral Fat
Reducing visceral fat does not mean fasting. Apply the principle of "safe calorie deficit"—consume $300-500 text{ kcal/day}$ less than you expend.
- Foods to eat: oatmeal, apples, green vegetables, chicken breast, salmon, eggs, chia seeds, olive oil, omega-3 rich foods.
- Foods to avoid: soft drinks, alcohol, white starches, fried/sautéed dishes, fast food.

These are natural visceral fat elimination foods that help improve digestion and activate deep fat burning. If you have recently given birth, see more effective ways to reduce postpartum belly fat to apply correctly.
2. Exercise Correctly
Effective ways to detox visceral fat will help you improve your body significantly; it's not just about the method but also about diligence and consistent daily practice. Here are some exercises you can refer to:
Here are some exercises you can refer to:
- Cardio: brisk walking, swimming, cycling for $30-45$ minutes every day.
- Power resistance: set of light dumbbells 2-3 sessions/week help increase muscle lose fat while resting.
- HIIT exercises: quickly increases heart rate, strongly activating visceral fat burning.

3. Intermittent Fasting
- The 16:8 method (eating within 8 hours, fasting for 16 hours) helps boost metabolism and reduce deep fat; however, it should not be applied if you have underlying medical conditions or are pregnant.
4. Get Enough Sleep and Manage Stress
- Sleep helps balance hormones, reduces cravings, and lowers cortisol. Maintain $7-9$ hours of sleep daily, combined with meditation, yoga, or light walking to reduce stress.

5. Reduce Alcohol Consumption
- Alcohol slows down the fat breakdown process and accumulates fat around the liver. 1 gram of alcohol is equivalent to $7 \text{ kcal}$ of "empty energy," making it difficult to lose fat even if you eat less.
6. Improve Gut Microbiota
- Additional beneficial bacteria that help boost metabolism, support how to waste visceral fat nature. Let's eat Greek yogurt, kimchi, vegetables, fermented and whole grain each day.
7. Support with Nutrients
- L-carnitine: enhances the conversion of fat into energy.
- Omega-3, CLA: supports reduced inflammation, improves metabolism.
- Green tea EGCG: activates fat-burning enzymes.
8. When is Medical Intervention Needed?
- If visceral fat exceeds the danger threshold or affects health, you should consult a specialist doctor. Some modern technologies like HIFEM or cryolipolysis can help reduce fat effectively and safely. Learn more in the article on abdominal fat-dissolving injections for a suitable choice.

Common Mistakes When Reducing Visceral Fat
Many people try hard to lose weight, but their visceral fat doesn't decrease significantly—sometimes it even increases. The reason comes from the following mistakes:
- Extreme fasting: Cutting too many calories causes the body to enter "survival mode," burning muscle instead of fat. When eating resumes, weight returns faster than before (yo-yo effect).
- Believe in weight loss pills speed grade: Many drugs or tea weight loss floating't help reduce visceral fat, really, that just losing water, causing metabolic disorders.
- Lack of physical activity: Dieting without exercising limits the fat-burning process. Visceral fat thus persists even if you eat very little.
- Insufficient sleep and continuous stress: Less sleep increases cortisol and ghrelin—two hormones that cause visceral fat to accumulate more strongly.
- Lack of persistence: Reducing visceral fat is a long-term process. Sudden changes and a lack of a plan make it easy to give up halfway.
To avoid mistakes, you should apply a scientific fat reduction method combining appropriate diet, exercise, and rest instead of seeking "miracle" solutions.
FAQs
1. How long does it take to see visceral fat reduction?
- Depending on the body condition and adherence to the regimen, on average after $8-12$ weeks of proper application, the visceral fat index can noticeably decrease. Long-term maintenance helps the body balance and prevents re-accumulation.
2. How do I know if I have a lot of visceral fat?
- You can check through InBody, DEXA Scan, or MRI measurement methods. Additionally, common signs are a firm abdomen and a large waist circumference (over $90 \text{ cm}$ for men or $80 \text{ cm}$ for women) even if your weight is not high.
3. Do thin people need to reduce visceral fat?
- Yes. People who are "thin but have a big belly" (TOFI) often have a high amount of visceral fat due to lack of exercise and metabolic disorders. Therefore, eliminating visceral fat is still necessary to protect long-term health.
4. Can I reduce visceral fat without exercising?
- It is very difficult. Dieting alone without physical activity limits the fat-burning process. You should combine cardio, light weightlifting, or Vaser 360 liposuction if the fat amount is too thick and hard to control.
5. Is Keto effective for visceral fat?
- The Keto diet helps activate the mechanism of burning fat instead of sugar, which can support visceral fat reduction if performed correctly; however, expert guidance is needed to avoid nutritional imbalance.
6. How much visceral fat is dangerous?
- According to InBody, a visceral fat index $> 10$ is a warning level. When exceeding this threshold, you should consult a specialist or refer to a scientific fat elimination diet advised by a doctor for early control.
Conclusion
There is no "magic bullet" to reduce visceral fat in just a few days; however, you can completely control it by changing your lifestyle: eat right – exercise regularly – sleep enough.
Reducing visceral fat is not just about having a beautiful waist but also a way to protect long-term health. Check your visceral fat index regularly and refer to a scientific diet after liposuction to maintain the best physique and health status.
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Sources refer to the article:
- Nutrihomeofficial. (2024, May 8). Lipid là gì? Vai trò của lipid, cấu tạo và phân loại. HỆ THỐNG PHÒNG KHÁM DINH DƯỠNG NUTRIHOME. https://nutrihome.vn/lipid/
- Intermittent Fasting: What is it, and how does it work? (2024, June 20). Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/intermittent-fasting-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work
- Visceral fat. (2024, May 1). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24147-visceral-fat


Dr. Nguyen Giap's Assistant
Dr. Nguyen Giap's Assistant for the Dr. Nguyen Giap website, with over 6 years of experience in developing content in the fields of aesthetics.
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