According to knoema.com, Jamaica's female obesity prevalence rate increased from 22% to 33% in less than a decade. This might make you wonder how easy it is to deal with belly fat. However, research has proven that certain factors account for this. While some people get desired results using products from steelsupplements.com, others resort to gyming or surgery to deal with the fat found in their mid-section. As you read further, you will gain some insight into why it can be tough to shed belly fat.

It is an active hormone-producing fat.

Belly fat, also called visceral fat, is stored behind the abdominal wall within the pocket of spaces between your internal organs. In the mid-1990s, doctors found out that apart from making the body look out of shape, visceral fat secretes active hormones that interfere with the body's proper functioning. It explains why with certain chronic medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, medical specialists usually recommend weight loss as part of the treatment program.

Additionally, belly fat secretes hormones that can interfere with proper insulin absorption, increasing your chances of developing diabetes. Meanwhile, your chance of having high cholesterol is significantly increased because visceral fat induces the liver to produce more than the body needs. In other words, belly fat is hard to lose because its presence actively interrupts critical organ functions. 

Genetic factors

Genes go beyond merely looking like others in your family. In more descriptive terms, genetics has more to do with shared biological codes, contributing to whether or not you will develop a health condition. For instance, science has proven that type1 and 2 diabetes can be inherited from parents. With belly fat, this is also true. Therefore, if your mother struggled with it, the likelihood that you would, too, is significantly increased.

How then can you fight something that is a part of your genetic code? Admittedly, there are interventions you can employ to control the development of belly fat. That will include healthy eating, regular exercising, and avoiding specific lifestyles like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. If you can remain committed to these interventions, you can control how much visceral fat you store.

Menopause and other hormonal factors

For reasons unknown to science, more than 80% of women gain belly fat after menopause. Although low estrogen levels contribute to the increase in midsection fat, there’s no explanation for why the decrease translates into fat storage. Therefore, if you're battling belly fat and you're at an age where menopause is likely to begin, you now know why.

In another breath, you can still have low estrogen levels in your active reproductive years. Usually, when there is an underlying medical condition such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), gaining belly fat is expected. Fortunately, once the underlying condition is managed, you can control weight gain in this area of your body.

Lastly, stress is another reason you are unable to lose belly fat. Stress releases cortisol, a hormone that stimulates fat cells to mature faster than they would have. Now you know that your hanging pouch is not because you aren't doing everything right. Instead, other factors contribute to why it takes longer and harder to get rid of it.