Hidden fat, how it affects you

Hidden fat (or visceral fat) is different to the fat that’s stored under the skin that you can pinch (known as subcutaneous fat). Whilst everyone has some visceral fat, having too much can be dangerous.

This hidden fat is deposited around the vital organs in the middle of your body like your liver and kidneys. Doctors consider it to be more harmful than subcutaneous fat because it is a more metabolically active type of fat. This means it releases chemicals into your bloodstream that can lead to weight-related health problems like diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Learn about visceral fat and its health dangers

If you are 'apple-shaped' rather than 'pear-shaped' you could be carrying a lot of visceral fat that could put you more at risk of these health problems.

Apple shape vs pear shape

The good news is that alli can help you lose weight and even modest weight loss can reduce your visceral fat. And you only have to lose a modest amount of weight (5-10% of your bodyweight) to have a significant effect on your health and well-being. 

In a small clinical study, visceral fat was reduced in over 70% of alli users who followed a reduced calorie, lower-fat diet.

Weight loss not only helps reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke, there are lots of other health benefits too. These include reduced blood pressure and improved fertility in women. So not only can you look better on the outside, you can be healthier on the inside too.

You’ll find more information about visceral fat plus support to help you reach your healthier weight in the alli programme.