The Belly Fat You Actually Need to Worry About

Chasing Life

CNN

Nutrition, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.4 • 7.8K Ratings

🗓️ 26 August 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Not all belly fat is created equal. Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains what makes some belly fat “toxic,” how to know if you have it, and what you can do to reduce it. Then, he tackles a follow-up question on the new blood pressure guidelines, including what lifestyle changes really work. Our show is produced by Eryn Mathewson, Jennifer Lai, Grace Walker, Lori Galaretta, Jesse Remedios, Sofia Sanchez, Kyra Dahring, and Madeleine Thompson. Medical Writer: Andrea Kane Showrunner: Amanda Sealy Senior Producer: Dan Bloom Technical Director: Dan Dzula Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Paging Dr. Gupta.
0:05.0	This is the place where we tackle the questions that matter the most to you.
0:09.0	How do we know that?
0:10.0	Because we're hearing straight from you.
0:12.0	These questions are drawn straight from your daily lives.
0:15.0	And I love these episodes because they bring your voices and your experiences
0:19.0	and your genuine concerns front and center.
0:22.3	I love hearing what's going on in your lives.
0:25.2	So, Kira, she's back with us, and who do we have first?
0:28.8	Hey, Sanjay.
0:30.3	So here's a great one to start us off, and it's coming from a listener in Oregon.
0:34.4	Take a listen.
0:35.6	This is Bridget, and I am 80 years old, and I am very healthy.
0:41.9	I take no medication, and I would like to know how to decrease toxic belly fat.
0:51.9	Okay, Bridget, yes, thanks for your question.
0:55.3	Safe to say this, all belly fat is not created equal.
1:00.1	The kind that we worry about the most is something called visceral fat.
1:04.5	I want you to remember that term, visceral fat.
1:07.3	It is the fat that is hidden deep around your organs.
1:09.9	In a healthy body, that should be about 10% or so of your total body fat. It is the fat that is hidden deep around your organs. In a healthy body, that should be about
1:12.4	10% or so of your total body fat, and higher amounts can be risky. Now, that's different from
1:18.5	something known as subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous, that's the stuff that's just underneath
	...

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