The Dangers of a Dad Bod

The beer belly, the dad bod, the potbelly… Whatever term you prefer, the buildup of fat around a man’s abdominal region is a common characteristic in older men. But what you might not know is that excess abdominal fat can also be a signifier of serious health consequences.

However, your diet and exercise regimes alone may not be the contributing factor for a beer belly or dad bod. Other factors such as environmental toxins, and genetic variation can also lead to a buildup of abdominal fat.

Beer belly and men:

As you might be able to tell from a glance around at your friends and neighbors, men are more likely to store excess fat in their abdominal region. This is because the estrogen in a woman’s body causes fat to be stored in regions that are easily accessible sources of energy when breastfeeding or pregnant- like the hips and thighs. For men, they lack this estrogen, and fat is stored in the stomach and abdominal region.

An unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, exposure to environmental toxins, hormone imbalance, and genetic variations can all lead to a beer belly. But aging men are especially susceptible to a potbelly. This is due to declining testosterone levels and a natural loss of muscle mass. These factors lead to fewer calories being naturally burned and excess calories being stored as visceral fat.

Beer belly 101:

Excess fat in the abdominal region is largely made up of visceral fat. This is fat that surrounds an organ, rather than sitting immediately under the skin, like subcutaneous fat. Belly fat is visceral fat that lies deep within the abdomen, surrounding the internal organs like the small intestines. Visceral fat is more dangerous than subcutaneous fat for several reasons. For one, this fat secretes higher amounts of inflammation triggering chemicals. This releases more fatty acids into the bloodstream. This is the opposite of fat in other, subcutaneous, regions in the body, where fatty acids are stored instead of released into circulation.

One way to think of belly fat is as the trunk of a car. For men, this is the default storage place for men to store fat. When you pack lightly, there is extra room in the trunk and no problems. But, when you back too heavy, the trunk fills up quickly and things must be stored in other parts of the car. This is the same for the buildup of fat in the body. Once there is no apace in the abdominal region, excess fat starts to be stored in the liver, pancreas, and muscles. This can be extremely unhealthy.

A buildup of belly fat can increase the risk of:

• Heart disease

• Heart attacks

• High blood pressure

• Fatty liver

• Stroke

• Type 2 diabetes

• Asthma

• Breast cancer

• Colon cancer

• Dementia

Causes:

As mentioned earlier, the buildup of visceral fat in the abdominal region is caused by several different factors:

Unhealthy diet: Some foods are more likely than others to cause a beer belly. These foods are typically very high in sugar, carbs, and saturated fat. Foods more likely to increase belly fat include:

• Soda and other sugary drinks like energy drinks and fruit punch- these drinks are very calorie-dense and encourage weight gain.

• Refined grains- a 2010 study found that increased intake of refined grains correlated to a larger amount of abdominal fat.

• Saturated fats- these fats can “turn on” several genes in fatty tissue and increase the storage of fat in the abdomen.

Lack of exercise: A physically inactive lifestyle is one of the main reasons for weight gain in men, especially visceral fat. A 2003 study by Duke University Medical Center discovered that lack of physical exercise leads to a significant increase in visceral fat. The same study found that high amounts of exercise can lead to large decreases in such fat over a short amount of time.

Stress: As we consume sugar during a time of stress, most of the sugar remains unused and is stored in the body. When you’re stressed, rather than being stored in the hips, this sugar is stored centrally- around the organs of the abdomen as visceral fat. Cortisol can also cause you to gain weight in its effects on the metabolism. Even if you don’t succumb to sugary cravings, cortisol will slow the metabolism and cause fewer calories to be burned. A 2015 study found that people with higher daily stress levels burned fewer calories than those with normal cortisol levels.

Genetic variations: There are several different genes associated with weight gain. Such genes include:

• UCP1- One variation of this gene is associated with a lower metabolic testing rate, lower body heat production, and a higher chance of weight gain and high BMI. (The less food energy used to heat, the more energy stored as fat).

• FTO- Variants of this gene increases absorption of saturated fat if more than 22g are eaten in a day. This gene also causes a preference for high-fat foods, reduced satiety responsiveness after eating, and greater food intake. Those that have variations in the FTO gene and eat more than 22g of saturated fat in a day are at increased risk of other health issues such as increased white fat, slower metabolism, and impaired fat burning.

Hormonal imbalances: Some hormonal imbalances can cause excess fat to build up in the abdominal region. Such hormones include:

• Thyroid: This hormone is used to control your metabolism, which is the method your body uses energy. When the thyroid is underactive, many of the body’s functions slow down- including burning calories. One study found that an underactive thyroid is associated with weight gain in the abdomen.

• Leptin: This hormone is released by fat cells, which targets nerve cells in the brain and triggers the feeling of fullness that often follows a meal. An old study found that leptin levels correlate to the amount of stored fat in the body. Overweight people tend to have lots of body fat in their cells and high levels of leptin. This is likely due to leptin resistance, when the brain no longer understands the body has enough energy.

• Testosterone: This hormone is the most important sex hormone in men, yet it is also present in women. Testosterone determines male characteristics, such as a deep voice, lean muscle mass and facial hair. Testosterone is also very important for energy, drive and motivation. As described earlier, testosterone decreases as men age, this will decrease muscle growth, increase adipose tissue and cause weight gain. According to one study, 30% of obese men have low levels of testosterone.

• Estrogen: A form of this hormone is responsible for libido modulation, sperm production, and erectile function in men. While high amounts of this hormone in women cause fat storage around the thighs and hips, high amounts of estrogen for men can cause weight gain in men under 60. On the other hand, low levels of estrogen in men can cause low sex drive and the buildup of excess fat around the abdominal region.

Belly fat and Toxins:

Another, often ignored, reason behind the buildup of excess fat in the belly is caused by exposure to environmental toxins. Toxins and other endocrine disruptors from your food, water, furniture, soaps, and personal care products can all lead to hormonal imbalances, which will cause weight gain. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that mimic or interfere with the body’s hormones and bind to insulin receptors causing an increase in blood sugar.

Common endocrine disruptors include BPA, phthalates, phytoestrogens, PFAS, and triclosan. Hormone mimicking endocrine disruptors trick the body into over-responding to the stimulus (like a growth hormone that causes increased muscle mass) or responding at inappropriate times (producing insulin when unnecessary). Interfering endocrine disruptors directly stimulate or inhibit hormone production.

Endocrine disruptors are found in many everyday products like plastic bottles and containers, liners of metal cans, detergents, toys, personal care products, cosmetics. food preservatives, pesticides, cleaning products, and many more.

Toxins in your personal care products:

For the sake of this article, we dove into some of the most popular male personal care products to determine just how many toxins they may contain. We examined Old Spice antiperspirant, Axe 2-in-1 Shampoo Conditioner, and Harry’s Post Shave Balm.

• Old Spice Antiperspirant: This product rates as a 5 out of 10 on the Environmental Working Group’s toxicity scale.

  • It has a high concern in:

    • Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

    • Organ system toxicity

    • Persistence and bioaccumulation

  • It has a moderate concern in:

    • Endocrine disruption

    • Additive exposure sources

    • Contamination concerns

• Axe 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner: This product rates as a 6 out of 10 on the Environmental Working Group’s toxicity scale.

  • It has a high concern in:

    • Contamination concerns

    • Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

    • Occupational hazards

    • Persistence and bioaccumulation

  • It has a moderate concern in:

    • Endocrine disruption

    • Additive exposure sources

    • Organ system toxicity

    • Neurotoxicity

• Harry’s Post Shave Balm: This product rates as a 7 out of 10 on the Environmental Working Group’s toxicity scale.

  • It has a high concern in:

    • Endocrine disruption

    • Contamination concerns

    • Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

    • Occupational hazards

  • It has a moderate concern in:

    • Additive exposure sources

    • Organ system toxicity

The main toxin in all three of these personal care products is fragrance. A personal care product can have 55 ingredients labeled as just a single “fragrance.” This means 55 different ingredients will not be listed in the ingredients but will instead all fall under the overhead term of fragrance. Often, “fragrance” will include chemicals like linalool and geraniol. Both of these toxins are known as human immune system toxicants or allergens. All fragrances contain phthalates which are potent endocrine disruptors.

Harry’s Post Shave Balm also contains glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) root extract. This chemical has been linked to developmental and reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, and endocrine disruption. Axe 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner contains FD&C Yellow No. 5. This toxin has been linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, and endocrine disruption.

A great way to discover the toxins in your personal care products is by using EWG.org/skindeep. This website gives you access to a database of thousands of different personal care products and breaks down the hidden ingredients and toxins, so you know exactly what you’re putting onto your skin.

If you’re experiencing a buildup of abdominal fat, there are several important measures you can take. For one, getting your labs drawn to determine potential nutrient deficiencies or hormonal imbalances will give insight into what could potentially be causing your beer belly. Secondly, removing toxic parabens and phthalates from your personal care routine will assist in regulating your hormones and easing your weight gain.

Knowing how you should eat genetically will also help to reduce weight and abdominal fat. If you carry certain genes that increase your absorption of fat, you can take appropriate steps to make changes that will make a difference.

At the Johnson Center, we have helped many patients find tremendous success in their weight loss on their journey to optimal health. Exploring every potential route of the problems, be it genetic, lifestyle-related, or due to a hormonal imbalance, we can assure you that we will find the route of the problem. Click here to contact us for more information!

The Johnson Center for Health services patients in-person in our Blacksburg and Virginia Beach / Norfolk locations. We also offer telemedicine for residents of Virginia and North Carolina!