What causes belly fat? Diabetes, Cortisol, Triglyceride and LDL

Insulin resistance, cortisol levels, Triglyceride and LDL are all related and guilty of causing belly fat. Next time you go to the doctors for a blood test, ask for your numbers from your results so that you can research the meaning and take back control.

Cortisol: Known as the stress hormone can be responsible weight gain, belly fat and diabetes and broken heart syndrome. Work towards reducing stress and getting 7-8 hours of quality deep sleep every night. Learning to meditate can really help. Stress is one of the biggest factors next to over eating that causes weight gain and belly fat. Stress can alter your hormone balance and gut microbiome, the cortisol hormone is the fight or flight mechanism that affects your adrenals and being in that state of anxiety does absolutely nothing for good health.

The best way to handle stress is as an 80's author wrote, 'Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway' Head on, get to the bottom of the issue and face it, do not let stuff fester, even at the risk of losing friends you should challenge the root cause of anxiety so you can move on as quickly as possible. Be kind to yourself in the first instance, we expect so much from ourselves. Try to relax, take a holiday if you can afford one and learn to forgive.

Forgiving others is not for them but for you, it allows issues to be put to bed because they don't really matter any more and when they don't matter, you stop stressing and when you stop stress, then cortisol levels fall and when that happens, your body gets back into balance and weight loss occurs again.

Normal results for a blood sample taken at 8 a.m. range between 6 and 23 micrograms per deciliter mcg/dL Triglyceride - having an increased level in your blood stream puts you at risk of heart attacks and stroke. Know your numbers HEART UK experts state that we should aim for a non fasting triglyceride level below 2.3mmol/L.

Blood sugars and insulin resistance:

Constantly abusing your diet with suggary foods can cause your blood sugars to rise, your pancreas releases the hormone insulin to lower the sugar in your blood. Normal range is between 4.0 to 5.4 mmol/L or 72 to 99 mg/dL when fasting. Up to 7.8 mmol/L or 140 mg/dL 2 hours after eating. Pre-diabetes, when you have not just eaten is, 7.2 mmol/L. And, if your sugars are in double figures then you have diabetes and need to start losing weight and avoiding suggary foods right away. Insulin resistance diabetes occurs when your body fails to produce enough insulin to bring your sugar back into the normal range. At that point you really do need to consider portion control and the Diet Plate as your first line of defense. Cut the sugar, including any hidden in processed foods and don't tempt fate by saying, 'I shouldn't really...'

Cholesterol:

Your total cholesterol level is a measure of the total amount of cholesterol circulating in your bloodstream, which includes two major components:-

LDL cholesterol: LDL stands for Low-density Lipoprotein. This is known as the 'bad' cholesterol, which directly contributes to plaque buildup in the arteries.

HDL cholesterol: HDL stands for High-density Lipoprotein. It has been called 'good' cholesterol because experts think it might help the body get rid of LDL cholesterol.

So bits of this stuff circulate through your system, and here's what happens: The bad parts, the LDL particles, like to stick to the lining of your arteries, like soap scum in pipes. As it sticks there, it generates an inflammatory response and your body starts converting it into plaque. Plaque in your blood vessels makes them stiffer and narrower, restricting blood flow to vital organs such as your brain and heart muscle, leading to high blood pressure. Additionally, chunks can break off and cause a heart attack or a stroke.

And guess what?

This build up can start as early as your 20s. Statin's, no longer hailed as the miracle drug, as diet control is proven to be much more effective. There is a change of thinking in the medical community and we suggest that you do some intensive research before starting on statin's.

The Diet Plate has been shown to reduce cholesterol, reduce tryglicerides, reduce blood sugar and reduce weight. As part of your healthy lifestyle or your families, maybe it is time to give it a go and not just for New Year but as part of a lifelong commitment to your and your families health.