Dad Bod: Belly Fat is More Deadly Than Obesity?

Do you have a dad bod? The Urban Dictionary defines it as a male body best described as “softly round.” It simply means having some soft, excess fat in the middle.

In the recent years, fat has been a topic of popular media and has been the subject of debates as the cause of various illnesses and health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity. However, one new study has found that weighing normal, but possessing a flabby tummy, can mean more danger than actual obesity.

"This idea that central obesity might be related to health issues is not new. It's been proposed for a number of years," the study's lead author Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, a cardiovascular specialist at the Mayo Clinic, told CBS News. "However, for all that time, it has been the assumption that if somebody has central obesity, the person is very likely obese. But in this study, we actually proved that a person can be centrally obese and have normal BMI and that person is at a greater risk for serious health problems."

The study, published online in the Annals of Internal Medicine, involved 15,000 people over 14 years. It was found that normal-weighing men with big bellies were two times more likely to die compared to those who were obese. Women who weighed normally but had big tummies were 32 percent more likely to die compared to those who were obese.

“Often times, we think if we’re a normal weight, then we’re OK,” Leslie Cho, head of preventive cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic, who wasn’t involved in the new study, told USA Today. “But weight is not as important as your level of fitness and where you hold your fat.”

Where fat is stored actually matters. For overweight or obese people, research has suggested that large amounts of fat beneath the waist may have health benefits, although doctors still don't know how or why.

"The fat in these locations below the waist has shown to improve insulin sensitivity, is related to less inflammation and a decreased risk of diabetes," Lopez-Jimenez said.

He added that this study suggests that people should be conscious about their waist measurements, and strive to build muscle, contrary to just losing that belly fat.

“When people lose weight, some of their weight they lose will be muscle mass, if they don’t exercise,” Lopez-Jimenez explained. “If you just lose weight but don’t build muscle, you may not be improving your health that much.”