HOW LACK OF SLEEP CAN CAUSE YOU TO GAIN UNHEALTHY BELLY FAT.

A recent study from Mayo Clinic has found that lack of sleep and easy access to food can result in increased calorie consumption and more unhealthy fat accumulation – particularly around the belly. A lack of sufficient sleep led to a 9% increase in total abdominal fat area and an 11% increase in abdominal visceral fat, according to a randomized controlled crossover study by Naima Covassin, Ph.D. Cardiovascular medicine researcher at Mayo Clinic. Visceral fat is deposited deep inside the abdomen around internal organs and is strongly linked to cardiac and metabolic diseases. The study’s findings have been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and it was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Lack of sleep is often a behavior choice. More than one-third of adults in the U.S. routinely do not get enough sleep, which is often due to shifting work, using smart devices and social networks du...