As we age and start to experience subtle shifts in our bodies, we might notice more swollenness in our joints and puffiness in our faces and generally feel more lethargic and less mentally sharp. These are telltale signs of chronic inflammation that could be linked to high levels of visceral fat—the “hidden fat” that’s stored deep inside our organs.

Doctors tend to focus on visible, subcutaneous fat as an indicator of metabolic health, causing them to miss metabolic dysfunction in leaner individuals. Identifying and lowering visceral fat levels could be a canary in the coal mine for identifying true metabolic health and prolonging life span.

Today on The Dhru Purohit Podcast, Dhru sits down with Dr. Sean O’Mara for a deep dive into the dangers of visceral fat, what foods and lifestyle factors promote visceral fat production, and how we can take steps to lower our levels to prevent chronic disease and prolong our life span.

Dhru and Dr. O’Mara also discuss the differences between visceral fat and subcutaneous fat, how visceral fat impacts circulation, the gut microbiome, how to test your visceral fat levels, and the best diet and exercise regime to follow to lower production of visceral fat.

Dr. Sean O’Mara works with business executives, professional performers, and athletes motivated to optimize their biology through innovative techniques of performance enhancement. Dr. O'Mara was the founder of an innovative medical start-up in Minneapolis, MN, called Lantu, which focuses on health and performance optimization.

Dr. O'Mara and his team used cutting-edge data analytics to glean insights to identify and leverage innovative biometrics of health, the human genome, and the microbiome. He has over a decade of experience evaluating and reversing chronic disease. He served President Clinton, Vice President Cheney, three secretaries of state, high-level foreign dignitaries, and many others in the international diplomatic community.

In this episode, Dhru and Dr. O’Mara dive into:
-What is visceral fat, and why is it so dangerous?
-Visual differences between healthy fat and visceral fat
-The top five diet and lifestyle factors that contribute to visceral fat
-The link between longevity and visceral fat
-Visceral fat vs subcutaneous fat in obesity and menopause
-Dr. O’Mara’s patient with TOFI (thin on the outside, fat on the inside)
-What makes a person susceptible to having a lot of visceral fat?
-The marbling of skeletal muscle tissue and risk for heart disease
-Study of visceral fat in sprinters
-How visceral fat impacts nitric oxide, blood flow, cognition, and hair growth
-Optimal level of visceral fat in the body
-Energy balance vs a whole-foods diet: which is best for reducing visceral fat?
-The link between visceral fat and the gut microbiome
-Dr. O’Mara’s take on alcohol
-Dr. O’Mara’s tips for sleep optimization
-Taking your health journey one step at a time
-The best way to exercise to reduce visceral fat
-Erectile dysfunction
-Best way to measure visceral fat

Also mentioned in this episode:
-Dr. Sean O’Mara on The Minimalist Podcast:    • Minimize Fat | The Minimalists Ep. 408  

For more on Dr. Sean O’Mara:
-YouTube @DrSeanOMara
-Twitter @DrSeanOMara
-Instagram @drseanomara
-Website https://drseanomara.com

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