According to Harvard Health, the results of a recent study of over 15,000 people published in the December 15, 2015, issue of Annals of Internal Medicine showed that people with

high levels of belly fat are more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases than people with optimal belly fat levels. Whether or not they were overweight, the amount of fat around their waistlines

posed a significant risk to heart health.

Excess visceral belly fat can make the body insulin-resistant. Over time, this can lead to the onset of type 2 diabetes, requiring medication and/or insulin to manage blood sugar levels.

Excess body fat can cause the onset of hypertension. Prolonged hypertension, or high blood pressure, will have adverse effects on major organs and systems including the kidneys, cardiovascular system, brain,

vision, and skeletal system.

Cytokines released by visceral fat tissue may spur cancerous activity in healthy cells and hinder the function of other hormones in the body. According to About Cancer, those who carry

excess abdominal fat are more prone to cancers of the breast, kidney, colon, gall bladder, and pancreas.

According to the National Institute on Aging, a 2008 "NIA-funded study found that middle-aged people with large bellies are more likely than are their flat-bellied contemporaries to develop Alzheimer's later

in life... Study participants in the top third for belly size had a threefold greater risk of dementia than participants in the bottom third had, even after researchers controlled for other

factors, like diabetes, that increased a person's risk for developing Alzheimer's."

According to Harvard Health, a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine study revealed that high levels of visceral belly fat have been linked to obstructive sleep apnea and related

symptoms such as loud snoring, daytime sleepiness, and fitful sleep. Loss of belly fat was credited as the top factor in improving quality of sleep.

An article on Science Daily said that "researchers at Rush University Medical Center have shown that depression is linked with the accumulation of visceral fat, the kind of fat packed

between internal organs at the waistline, which has long been known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes."

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis which affects some 27,000,000 Americans. According to the Arthritis Foundation, osteoarthritis is more commonly experienced by people with excess belly fat.

Chemicals released by visceral fat tissue can make you more likely to develop osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.