Visceral fat is stored in the abdominal cavity, surrounding vital organs such as the pancreas, liver and intestines.
While it can be common in people who are overweight, those considered a normal weight can also carry it.
Large amounts of visceral fat is caused by poor diet and lack of exercise, so what steps can you take to get rid of it?
Dr Luke James, medical director, UK Insurance at Bupa UK, has five personal recommendations.
On the health organisation’s website, Dr James says for an eight-week trial to see the effect on your belly fat you should do the following:
1. Cut down on rice, potatoes, pasta and when you do eat them go for wholegrain (i.e. brown rice and pasta).
He says: “There are lots of substitutes – courgette instead of spaghetti for example. Carbs should only make up a quarter of the space on your plate.
2. Cut out the sweet treats and savoury snacks of chocolate and crisps.
3. Increase your protein to 3g protein per kilo bodyweight, choosing lean eat like chicken and fish, or pulses or soya if you’re veggie.
He advises: “If you’re struggling to get to 2g, consider protein drinks or bars to supplement.”
4. Cut out all alcohol.
5. Do three to four HIIT sessions combines with weights/resistance training each week (one hour per session is enough).
He explains: “This will really get your heart rate up and burn the fat. HIIT basically means that you go all out and give it everything you’ve got for a short burst, followed by a low intensity exercise or rest – and then repeat.”
Harvard Health Publishing, part of Harvard Medical School, also recommends not smoking.
It says: “The more you smoke, the more likely you are to store fat in your abdomen rather than on your hips and thighs.
You should also make sure you get enough sleep. It adds: “A five-year study found that adults under age 40 who slept five hours or less a night accumulated significantly more visceral fat.
“But too much isn’t good, either – young adults who slept more than eight hours also added visceral fat. (This relationship wasn’t found in people over age 40.)”
According to Doctor Margaret Ashwell, measuring your height to waist ratio can get a good indication of the level of visceral fat you are carrying.
On the BBC’s The Truth About Obesity, which aired earlier this year, she said: “BMI doesn’t measure fat distribution.
“The best way of explaining it is think of a great hunky rugby player, they might have the same BMI as a chubby darts player.
“The rugby player might have more muscle than fat, where as a dart player is going to have more fat than muscle.”
Visceral fat is different to the fat which can be pinched around the middle called subcutaneous fat, which sits below the surface of the skin. But the good news is experts argue visceral fact can be shed faster.