Video | Belly Fat Vicious Cycle | How Polyphenols Help Reduce Belly Fat | Polyphenol-Rich Foods | Takeaway

Deep belly fat, or visceral fat, that is stored around the abdominal organs is linked to significant health risks, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.

There are proven strategies for reducing belly fat. One that I’ve covered extensively on my blog is a low-carb diet. Another strategy is to boost your intake of polyphenols.

But here’s the thing: Polyphenols come from plants, and because plants make carbohydrates through photosynthesis, boosting polyphenols means you boost your carb intake.

Is there a way to marry these two strategies? In other words, can you enjoy your polyphenols and have your low-carb diet benefits, too? Absolutely, and not only is it enjoyable because of the great foods you get to eat, but it is also easy to follow and effective.  

This blog post shares how polyphenols help to reduce belly fat and the low-carb foods that contain them. 

Reducing Belly Fat with a Low-Carb, Polyphenol-Rich Diet [Video]

The Vicious Cycle: Belly Fat Promotes More Belly Fat

Unlike subcutaneous fat that you can pinch under your skin, the deeper visceral fat is metabolically active and secretes pro-inflammatory cytokines and adipokines. 

The resulting low-grade, chronic inflammation contributes to insulin resistance, a condition where cells in the body become less responsive to insulin. 

This resistance impairs glucose uptake, leading to elevated blood sugar levels and promoting fat storage, particularly in the abdominal region (1).

So, you see a vicious cycle emerge where the accumulation of belly fat releases substances that exacerbate inflammation. That inflammation contributes to insulin resistance, which promotes fat storage. 

How Polyphenols Help Reduce Belly Fat

Reduce Inflammation: Polyphenols are known for their antioxidant properties, so they have powerful anti-inflammatory effects that break that vicious cycle and help reduce belly fat.

Enhance Fat Oxidation: They also improve metabolic health by enhancing fat oxidation, which is the process of breaking down fatty acids for energy. This enhanced fat breakdown leads to improved energy expenditure and reduced fat storage (2).

Suppress Appetite: Polyphenol-rich foods also suppress appetite by inhibiting the secretion of appetite-stimulating hormones, like ghrelin, and increasing adiponectin levels. Thanks to the influence adiponectin has on chemical messengers in the hypothalamus that regulate hunger and satiety; adiponectin furthers this hunger satisfaction effect. 

Improves Insulin Sensitivity: Adiponectin also improves insulin sensitivity, allowing cells to better utilize glucose for energy. This reduces blood sugar levels and decreases the storage of fat, particularly in the abdominal area.

So, there are a lot of wins when it comes to reducing belly fat by eating polyphenols. And best yet, the foods taste good, and many are naturally low in carbohydrates. 

Polyphenol-Rich Foods

Polyphenols are not a single substance found in food but rather a class of compounds. 

Types of Polyphenols:

• Anthocyanins
• Catechins
• Flavonoids
• Lignans
• Phenolic acids
• Quercetin
• Resveratrol
• Many more…

There are literally thousands of them, so to reap the full benefits, it’s best to incorporate a variety of polyphenol-rich foods into your diet. Let’s look at some great low-carb sources, starting with berries. 

Berries

Not all fruits are appropriate for low-carb dieters, but berries, in general, are OK, and their vibrant colors tell us they are rich in polyphenols. 

We’ve all heard it said that if you want to ward off illness, you should eat a rainbow every day, which is a catchy way of reminding us to eat a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. What you’re really being told to do is eat your polyphenols every day because many of those rich colors come from these naturally occurring chemical compounds.

There are differences among berries. Strawberries are a good low-carb choice because they are widely liked, and a 3.5-ounce (100g) serving contains just 7.7 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber. You can also choose blackberries or raspberries. Blueberries are a bit more middle of the range when it comes to their carbohydrate content with 14.5g of carbs per serving.

Additional Fruits

Other fruits high in polyphenols that can be worked into a low-carb diet include plums and apples. You’ll also find a rich supply of polyphenols in cherries, pomegranates, and grapes, but these fruits have higher carb counts. For the full picture on fruits, see my blog post on the best and worst low-carb fruit options.

Vegetables

Vegetables rich in polyphenols include spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, red onions, asparagus, and artichokes. These are all non-starchy vegetables, so they fit easily into a low-carb diet. 

• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Red Onions
• Asparagus
• Artichokes

Carrots are high in polyphenols, which you might guess because of their rich orange color. However, they ride the fence between starchy and non-starchy, so if your goal is to keep your carbs low, limit your intake of carrots. 

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are a tasty way to add polyphenols to your daily low-carb diet. The best choices for their polyphenol count are pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, chia seeds, and flaxseeds. 

• Pecans
• Walnuts
• Hazelnuts
• Almonds
• Chia seeds
• Flaxseeds

These foods also provide a great mix of healthy fats and protein, and while being relatively low in carbs, they are easy to overeat. So, don’t think of them as a snack food; think of them as a recipe enhancer, so sprinkle chopped pecans, walnuts, or slivered almonds on top of a salad or mix them into full-fat yogurt. You can also add chia seeds and flaxseed to yogurt or a low-carb smoothie. 

Beverages

You can drink polyphenols because they are abundant in green tea, coffee, and also red wine. You’ve heard that the healthy component of red wine is resveratrol. Resveratrol is a type of polyphenol. 

Other Foods

Other foods that are high in polyphenols and low in carbohydrates are olives, which can be eaten as a snack or included in recipes, and dark chocolate. 

However, when it comes to dark chocolate, you need to choose wisely. The chocolate needs to be at least 70% cacao, preferably 80% and above, and it should not have sugar listed in the top three ingredients. 

That by itself takes some searching, but it is also best to find brands low in lead and cadmium. The Consumer Reports website lists the safer chocolates and those highest in heavy metals are listed.

When preparing food at home, you can boost the recipe’s polyphenol content by using olive oil or sprinkling in herbs and spices. Several of them are high in polyphenols, including oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, parsley, cilantro, cinnamon, and turmeric. 

To be complete, I will mention that there are a few high-carb foods that are rich in polyphenols. They include grains like oats, rye, barley, and wheat. Beans are another high-carb food with polyphenols, with black beans and red kidney beans having the highest levels. 

Takeaway

Polyphenols support your goal to lose belly fat by reducing inflammation, enhancing fat oxidation, suppressing appetite, and improving insulin sensitivity. 

These natural substances are abundant in many low-carb foods, including berries, non-starchy vegetables, nuts and seeds, dark chocolate, olives, olive oil, and herbs. You can also drink polyphenols since they are abundant in green tea, coffee, or red wine. 

There are thousands of polyphenols that you can take in, so aim to get a variety of these foods into your daily diet for maximum health benefits.  

References:

(1) Kirichenko, Tatiana V., et al. “The role of adipokines in inflammatory mechanisms of obesity.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23.23 (2022): 14982.

(2) Singh, Manisha, et al. “Managing obesity through natural polyphenols: A review.” Future Foods 1 (2020): 100002.

About the Author

Becky Gillaspy, DC, is the author of The Intermittent Fasting Guide and Cookbook and Zero Sugar / One Month. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with research honors from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1991.