What Is Visceral Fat and What Diet Combats It?

Subcutaneous and visceral fat stores body fat. Subcutaneous fat lies just beneath the skin and serves as an energy reserve. In contrast, visceral fat surrounds internal organs deep within the abdominal cavity, making it less visible but far more concerning. Excess visceral fat significantly raises the risk of severe health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Reducing visceral fat is essential for weight loss and overall health. In late November 2024, nutrition coach and celebrity trainer Thomas DeLauer shared advice on an effective diet targeting visceral fat. 

“Calories in and calories out [CICO] will make you lose weight. I’m not denying that, but there is clear evidence that visceral fat does not operate on the same axis,” said DeLauer. “People can lose weight but not lose visceral fat. On the contrary, they can not lose weight, but actually lose visceral fat.”

Study on Visceral Fat Combatting Diet

DeLauer cites a study that identifies the Mediterranean diet rich in polyphenols as the most effective for reducing visceral fat. (1) The research analyzed and compared three distinct dietary approaches:

• A Healthy Guideline Diet: The diet contains high proteins, fruits, and vegetables.
• Standard Mediterranean Diet
• Polyphenol-Rich Mediterranean Diet Group: This diet had more fruits, vegetables, green tea, duckweed shakes, and polyphenols.

The study found the following results: 

• The healthy diet group didn’t lose any weight, but they lost 4.2% of their visceral fat. 
• The standard Mediterranean diet group saw a 2.7% weight loss and a 6% reduction in visceral fat. 
• The polyphenol-rich Mediterranean diet group had 3.9% weight loss and a 14% reduction in visceral fat.

“It doesn’t just have to do with the calories regarding visceral fat. Visceral fat is such a proxy for our metabolic health that things can influence visceral fat long before they influence even our weight,” DeLauer explained.

What Are Polyphenols?

DeLauer highlights two key polyphenols from the diet study: hippuric acid and urolithin A. Hippuric acid, found in forest berries like blackberries, blackcurrants, raspberries, wild strawberries, and chokeberries, is linked to greater visceral fat loss. 

Green tea and urolithin A are also rich in hippuric acid. Urolithin A is naturally present in pomegranates, walnuts, almonds, blueberries, and herbal teas. Research shows that it not only aids in fat loss but also protects against visceral fat gain, even in high-fat, high-calorie diets.

Polyphenol’s Direct Effects on Visceral Fat & Metabolism

Hippuric acid is closely linked to gut health, serving as a byproduct of the microbial metabolism of polyphenols. (2) As a prebiotic, polyphenols support gut health by fostering beneficial bacteria while inhibiting the growth of harmful microbes. (3)

“The more that time goes on, the less that I’m convinced that it’s the fiber in fruit that is the beneficial thing, and it might be the polyphenols,” said DeLauer. 

The link between gut health and visceral fat is notably stronger than its connection to overall body mass index (BMI). This means that improving gut health with polyphenols is an effective way to reduce visceral fat.

Additionally, DeLauer highlights that participants following a standard Mediterranean diet decreased their intake of saturated fats, which is another key factor in reducing visceral fat. He references a study demonstrating that higher saturated fat consumption correlates with increased visceral fat, further reinforcing the importance of dietary choices in managing health. (4)

Diet Takeaways

Martin DeLauer offers these key diet tips drawn from his insights on the studies to reduce visceral fat: 

1. Eat about one gram of lean protein per pound of lean body mass daily.
2. Consume two cups of dark berries per day.
3. Have two cups of green tea daily.
4. Consume low oxalate leafy greens like duckweed.
5. Eat aged cheeses.
6. Practice the occasional early time-restricted feeding (ETRF).
7. Eat gut health-promoting foods like bone broth, collagen, and colostrum.
8. Consume five to 10 grams of glutamine to aid gut health. 
9. Add half to one cup of fermented dairy daily. 

References

1. Zelicha, H., Kloting, N., Kaplan, A., Yaskolka Meir, A., Rinott, E., Tsaban, G., Chassidim, Y., Bluher, M., Ceglarek, U., Isermann, B., Stumvoll, M., Quayson, R. N., von Bergen, M., Engelmann, B., Rolle-Kampczyk, U. E., Haange, S. B., Tuohy, K. M., Diotallevi, C., Shelef, I., Hu, F. B., … Shai, I. (2022). The effect of high-polyphenol Mediterranean diet on visceral adiposity: the DIRECT PLUS randomized controlled trial. BMC medicine, 20(1), 327. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-022-02525-8 
2. Pallister, T., Jackson, M. A., Martin, T. C., Zierer, J., Jennings, A., Mohney, R. P., . . . Menni, C. (2017). Hippurate as a metabolomic marker of gut microbiome diversity: Modulation by diet and relationship to metabolic syndrome. Scientific Reports, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-13722-4
3. Kumar Singh, A., Cabral, C., Kumar, R., Ganguly, R., Kumar Rana, H., Gupta, A., Rosaria Lauro, M., Carbone, C., Reis, F., & Pandey, A. K. (2019). Beneficial Effects of Dietary Polyphenols on Gut Microbiota and Strategies to Improve Delivery Efficiency. Nutrients, 11(9), 2216. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11092216
4. Rosqvist, F., Iggman, D., Kullberg, J., Cedernaes, J., Johansson, H. E., Larsson, A., Johansson, L., Ahlström, H., Arner, P., Dahlman, I., & Risérus, U. (2014). Overfeeding polyunsaturated and saturated fat causes distinct effects on liver and visceral fat accumulation in humans. Diabetes, 63(7), 2356–2368. https://doi.org/10.2337/db13-1622

Featured image via Shutterstock/Anna Rogalska