One study found that combining intermittent fasting with protein pacing — which involves consuming nutrient-dense meals spaced evenly throughout the day — led to greater reductions in body weight, total fat, and visceral fat compared to calorie restriction Although certain modified intermittent fasting methods appear to be better options, stop fasting immediately if you experience any negative effects.

Additionally, talk with a doctor before trying intermittent fasting or making other changes to your diet. Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that alternates between periods of eating and fasting.

Studies suggest that it may be one of the most effective ways to lose weight and belly fat. Green tea is an exceptionally healthy beverage. It contains caffeine and the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate EGCG , which appear to boost metabolism 68 , EGCG is a catechin, which several studies suggest may help you lose belly fat.

The effect may be strengthened when green tea consumption is combined with exercise 70 , 71 , Interestingly, one review concluded that green tea could increase weight loss, especially when consumed in doses of less than milligrams per day for 12 weeks Another review showed that regular consumption of green tea could be beneficial for reducing body weight and waist circumference Though more research is needed, regularly drinking green tea has been linked to weight loss.

Interestingly, many of these methods are generally associated with balanced eating and an overall healthy lifestyle. Therefore, changing your lifestyle for the long term is the key to losing your belly fat and keeping it off. When you have healthy habits, stay active, and reduce your intake of ultra-processed foods , fat loss tends to follow as a natural side effect Losing weight and keeping it off may be difficult unless you maintain consistent dietary habits and lifestyle measures.

Studies suggest that intermittent fasting may be one of the most effective ways to lose weight and belly fat. While there are healthy ways to lose weight, it will likely take longer than 7 days. There are no magic solutions to losing belly fat.

Adopting some or all of the strategies and lifestyle goals discussed in this article may help you lose belly fat and improve overall health. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

VIEW ALL HISTORY. Belly fat is the most harmful fat in your body, linked to many diseases. Here are 6 simple ways to lose belly fat that are supported by science.

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New research suggests that running may not aid much with weight loss, but it can help you keep from gaining weight as you age.

Here's why. A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Nutrition Evidence Based 18 Effective Tips to Lose Belly Fat Backed by Science. Medically reviewed by Adam Bernstein, MD, ScD — By Franziska Spritzler — Updated on November 30, Was this helpful?

Eat plenty of soluble fiber. Avoid foods that contain trans fats. Moderate your alcohol intake. Eat a high protein diet. Reduce your stress levels. Explore our top resources. Do aerobic exercise cardio.

Cut back on carbs — especially refined carbs. Perform resistance training lift weights. Limit sugar-sweetened beverages. Get plenty of restful sleep. Track your food intake and exercise. Eat fatty fish every week. Limit consumption of fruit juice. Aerobic exercise is especially effective at reducing visceral fat.

Try combining it with a healthy diet to shed more visceral fat. Fiber can be divided into two broad categories — soluble and insoluble. The soluble kind mixes with water to form a viscous gel-like substance.

This helps slow down the delivery of digested food from the stomach to the intestines These fatty acids are a major source of nutrition for colon cells. For example, studies show that short-chain fatty acids help increase levels of fullness hormones, such as cholecystokinin, GLP-1 and PYY 23 , They can also help reduce levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin 25 , 26 , A study in 1, people found that simply increasing soluble fiber intake by 10 grams daily reduced the risk of visceral fat gain by up to 3.

To increase your fiber intake, try eating more flaxseeds, sweet potatoes, legumes and grains. You can also try taking a soluble fiber supplement. Eating more soluble fiber can help reduce visceral fat by suppressing your appetite and keeping gut bacteria healthy.

Try eating more soluble fiber-rich foods or taking a soluble fiber supplement. Protein is the most important nutrient for fat loss. Eating more protein can help fend off hunger by increasing levels of the fullness hormones GLP-1, PYY and cholecystokinin.

It can also help reduce levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin 29 30 , Studies have shown that protein can help boost your metabolism as well, which in turn promotes weight loss and visceral fat loss 32 , Additionally, many studies show that people who eat more protein tend to carry less visceral fat 34 , 35 , Eating more protein may help you lose weight and visceral fat.

Try eating more protein-rich foods to help reduce visceral fat. Added sugar is very unhealthy. Studies have also shown that people who eat more added sugar tend to have more visceral fat 37 , 38 , In large amounts, fructose can get turned into fat by the liver. This may increase visceral fat storage 37 , 40 , For example, in a study in 41 children aged 9—18, scientists replaced fructose in their diets with starch that provided the same amount of calories.

They found that this simple change reduced liver fat by 3. You can reduce your added sugar intake by simply eating more whole foods, such as fresh vegetables, fruits, lean meats and fish. Added sugar is unhealthy and may increase visceral fat. Try eating more whole foods to reduce your intake of added sugar.

Drinking a small amount of alcohol , especially red wine, can have health benefits In fact, several studies have shown that drinking too much alcohol may encourage fat to be stored as visceral fat 44 , A study in 8, Korean adults found that people who drank the most alcohol also had the largest waist circumference, a marker of visceral fat Another study in 87 women found that a moderate alcohol intake was also linked to carrying more visceral fat However, only a few studies on this topic exist.

More studies will help clarify the link between alcohol intake and visceral fat. Drinking too much alcohol regularly may increase visceral fat. Try limiting your alcohol to small amounts. This is why they are added to processed foods, such as baked goods and potato chips However, studies have shown that trans fats can increase visceral fat and may cause numerous health problems 49 , In one six-year study, monkeys were fed either a diet rich in artificial trans fats or monounsaturated fats.

Fortunately, the Food and Drug Administration has realized the harm in trans fats. It has given food manufacturers three years from to either gradually remove trans fats from food products or apply for special approval Trans fats are incredibly bad for your health and linked to carrying more visceral fat.

Try limiting your intake of foods that contain trans fats, such as baked goods and potato chips. Studies have shown that a lack of sleep may increase your risk of visceral fat gain 54 , 55 , 56 , Additionally, several studies have linked sleep apnea, a condition that impairs breathing, with a higher risk of gaining visceral fat 59 , 60 , If you struggle to get enough sleep, try relaxing before bed or taking a magnesium supplement.

You can also find more proven tips here. Try to aim for at least 7 hours of sleep daily. Studies have shown that excess cortisol can increase visceral fat storage 63 , Women who already have large waists in proportion to their hips, which is a marker of visceral fat, tend to produce more cortisol when stressed A few proven strategies to reduce stress include exercising more, trying yoga or meditation or just spending more time with friends and family.

Studies have shown that chronic stress is linked to visceral fat gain. To relieve stress, try exercising more, yoga, meditation or more family time.

Probiotics are live bacteria that can benefit your gut and digestive health. Obesity Silver Spring. Article CAS Google Scholar. Flint A, Raben A, Astrup A, Holst JJ: Glucagon-like peptide 1 promotes satiety and suppresses energy intake in humans.

Toft-Nielsen MB, Madsbad S, Holst JJ: Continuous subcutaneous infusion of glucagon-like peptide 1 lowers plasma glucose and reduces appetite in type 2 diabetic patients. Gutzwiller JP, Drewe J, Göke B, Schmidt H, Rohrer B, Lareida J, Beglinger C: Glucagon-like peptide-1 promotes satiety and reduces food intake in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2.

Am J Physiol. Verdich C, Flint A, Gutzwiller JP, Näslund E, Beglinger C, Hellström PM, Long SJ, Morgan LM, Holst JJ, Astrup A: A meta-analysis of the effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 amide on ad libitum energy intake in humans.

Kawate R, Yamakido M, Nishimoto Y, Bennett PH, Hamman RF, Knowler WC: Diabetes mellitus and its vascular complications in Japanese migrants on the Island of Hawaii. Marshall JA, Hamman RF, Baxter J: High-fat, low-carbohydrate diet and the etiology of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: the San Luis Valley Diabetes Study.

Am J Epidemiol. Tsunehara CH, Leonetti DL, Fujimoto WY: Diet of second-generation Japanese-American men with and without non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Tinker LF, Bonds DE, Margolis KL, Manson JE, Howard BV, Larson J, Perri MG, Beresford SA, Robinson JG, Rodríguez B, Safford MM, Wenger NK, Stevens VJ, Parker LM: Women's Health Initiative.

Low-fat dietary pattern and risk of treated diabetes mellitus in postmenopausal women: the Women's Health Initiative randomized controlled dietary modification trial. Arch Intern Med. Nyström T, Gutniak MK, Zhang Q, Zhang F, Holst JJ, Ahrén B, Sjöholm A: Effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 on endothelial function in type 2 diabetes patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. Ansar S, Koska J, Reaven PD: Postprandial hyperlipidemia, endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular risk: focus on incretins. Cardiovasc Diabetol. Arakawa M, Mita T, Azuma K, Ebato C, Goto H, Nomiyama T, Fujitani Y, Hirose T, Kawamori R, Watada H: Inhibition of monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells and attenuation of atherosclerotic lesion by a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, exendin Diab Vasc Dis Res.

Download references. Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, B5, Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, , Japan. Department of Metabolism and Atherosclerosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, B5, Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, , Japan.

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Correspondence to Norikazu Maeda. KI acquired and analyzed data, and wrote the manuscript.

NM conceived study, analyzed data, and wrote the manuscript. SK, YF, JK, AHS, KO, and AI acquired and researched data. TF and IS reviewed manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Open Access This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. Reprints and permissions. Inoue, K. et al. Short-term effects of liraglutide on visceral fat adiposity, appetite, and food preference: a pilot study of obese Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Cardiovasc Diabetol 10 , Download citation. Received : 13 October Accepted : 01 December Published : 01 December Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:. Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Skip to main content. Search all BMC articles Search. Download PDF. Download ePub. Abstract Background To examine the effects of liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 GLP-1 analogue, on visceral fat adiposity, appetite, food preference, and biomarkers of cardiovascular system in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods The study subjects were 20 inpatients with type 2 diabetes treated with liraglutide [age; Results Treatment with liraglutide dose range: 0. Conclusions Short-term treatment with liraglutide improved visceral fat adiposity, appetite, food preference and the urge for fat intake in obese Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Introduction The prevalence of type 2 diabetes has rapidly increased worldwide [ 1 ] including Western and Asian countries [ 2 ]. Clinical examination Various metabolic parameters were measured on admission, liraglutide induction, and discharge.

Questionnaire for eating behavior Eating behavior was assessed by using the questionnaire of The Guideline For Obesity issued by the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity advocated by Prof. Statistical analysis Results are expressed as mean ± standard deviation SD.

Results Characteristics of participants Table 1 shows baseline characteristics of 20 subjects at admission. Table 1 Baseline characteristics.

Full size table. Figure 1. Full size image. Figure 2. Table 2 Liraglutide-induced changes in parameters relating to glucose metabolism. Discussion The present study demonstrated that short-term liraglutide treatment significantly affected visceral fat adiposity, appetite, food preference, and cardiovascular biomarkers in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Acknowledgements We thank Miyuki Nakamura, Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, for the excellent technical assistance.

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