Dr. Oz is at it again. He recently hosted Dr. Natasha Turner,
who discussed the impact of hormones on belly fat. Dr. Turner has written several
books on the subject, and she shared some of her insights on how adjusting our
hormone levels can safely and easily melt away that nasty belly fat.
Belly fat is not anyone’s friend. It is definitely a
fashion “don’t” that ruins the sleek lines of today’s fashions. Worse, belly
fat is unhealthy; far more than fat buildup in other areas of your body.
There is no single solution for belly fat. There are
special diets, targeted exercises and gadgets galore; all promising to help.
Dr. Turner has a different approach. She says that just a few hormones can be
the true root of belly fat evil.
Her first target is the hormone insulin. Insulin is
critical to life, converting glucose into a form that our cells can use for
energy. Too much insulin can trigger storage of glucose in our body as fat. The
basis for all those glycemic index diets, controlling insulin secretion is a
first step toward controlling belly fat. Insulin is released by your body when
you eat carbohydrates. To limit insulin secretion, shift your diet away from
simple carbs and more toward proteins. This will avoid insulin spikes, which
means less belly fat creation and fewer food cravings later.
Cortisol is another hormone in Dr. Turner’s cross-hairs Cortisol
is secreted in response to stress. It makes us energized and cranky; hungry and
nauseous, depressed and anxious. Too much cortisol can even reduce your bone
density and muscle mass and suppress your libido. None of these things are desirable.
To reduce cortisol production, Dr. Turner suggests sleeping well. She suggests getting between 7.5 and 9 hours
of sleep every night. Wouldn't that be nice?
Estrogen and testosterone play a complex role in belly
fat. Fat in men triggers conversion of testosterone into estrogen. More
estrogen means more belly fat. The cycle continues. There are herbal
supplements that can help boost testosterone, along with zinc supplements in
most multivitamins.
Our adrenal glands produce a hormone called DHEA. This is
a building block of estrogen and testosterone and a natural blocker for the
evil cortisol. DHEA increases our energy and libido. Most of us have enough
DHEA, but a blood test may show that you’re a bit low. In that case, there are
herbal supplements that can put you back in shape. Don’t overdo it, though, too
much is worse than not enough.
Growth hormone is blamed for a lot of things, including
our mood swings, aging and belly fat. One way to boost growth hormone secretion
is to sleep in a cool room in total darkness. This spurs your body to release
melatonin, which increases secretion of growth hormone. Not a big sacrifice to
boost such a critical hormone.
Dr. Turner believes that tweaking these few hormones can
be the best way to fight belly fat. What do you think? Have you shed that spare
tire? Tell us your secret!
No comments:
Post a Comment