10 REASONS WHY... YOUR ‘DAD BOD’ IS KILLING YOU
1 IT RAISES CANCER RISK
The ‘dad bod’ has been hailed as the new ideal male physique, with women fawning over famous men proudly sporting a middle-age spread. But while Leonardo Di Caprio’s body has attracted an impressive tally of models – and rotund Ed Balls is impressing on Strictly – it could also be doing them serious harm. Research revealed last week showed that men who put on just 2st 7lb through teenage years to retirement, and were classed as overweight (a BMI of more than 25), had a 50 per cent higher risk of bowel, kidney, oesophageal and pancreatic cancer.
2 ... AND DEPRESSION
A 2014 study found a link between belly fat and depression in middle age. The study of more than 3,300 men and women with an average age of 51 found that higher levels of visceral fat (surrounding internal organs) was linked to higher risk of depression, believed in part to be caused by an increasing production of the stress hormone cortisol.
3 IT’S BAD FOR THE HEART
Abdominal fat is often visceral, creating a firm, rounded ‘beer belly’ that you cannot pinch. It has been linked to high levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol and high blood pressure, which are both main contributors to heart disease.
4 ... AND IMMUNE SYSTEM
Visceral fat produces interleukin-6, a chemical active in inflammation that worsens symptoms of, and could raise the risk of, diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
5 LINKS TO DIABETES
Scientists have linked belly fat to insulin resistance syndrome, where the body is less sensitive to insulin and therefore produces more of it, leaving people with visceral abdominal fat more likely to suffer type 2 diabetes.
6 ... AND DEMENTIA
A Japanese study found a link between adverse waistto-hip ratio and dementia. The more stomach fat, the worse the effect on the hippocampus – the memory centre in the brain.
7 SNORE WARS
Increased levels of visceral abdominal fat has been linked to snoring, as abdominal fat can restrict movement of the diaphragm and lung expansion.
8 A FLOP IN THE BEDROOM
A 2011 Dutch study found belly fat lowers testosterone and reduces blood flow, so triggering erectile dysfunction.
9 LUNGS WILL SUFFER
A Californian study found a correlation between high levels of abdominal fat and asthma. Those with a larger waist-to-hip ratio were 37 per cent more likely to develop the illness. Researchers linked this to the inflammatory effects of visceral fat having an impact on the respiratory system.
10 APPLES AND PEARS...
Men of normal weight with an elevated waist-to-hip ratio – apple-shaped – run twice the risk of early death compared with those who are overweight or obese but of a ‘pear shape’, according to a 2015 study of 15,000 people.