Explore every episode of the podcast VAT Trap

Menopause often brings a hidden shift in fat storage—from hips to abdomen—driven by falling oestrogen and loss of muscle. This article explains why visceral fat matters more than weight, how simple screening can detect risk early, and how HRT, lifestyle change, and modern tools can protect long-term heart and metabolic health.

To read more see
 
https://www.scvc.co.uk/vat/menopause-belly-fat-and-long-term-health-why-hrt-and-visceral-fat-screening-matter/

To review all podcasts is series https://feeds.transistor.fm/vat-trap

Ten minutes of strength training, five days a week, is enough to change metabolic health. Like brushing your teeth, it works because it’s sustainable. Keep the time fixed, increase the weights gradually, and focus on strength, not scales. Small daily habits protect muscle, reduce visceral fat, and support long-term health.

To read more see https://www.scvc.co.uk/metabolic-health/if-you-spend-2-minutes-brushing-your-teeth-why-not-10-minutes-saving-your-life/

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In cardiometabolic medicine, muscle is not a cosmetic tissue but a metabolic organ. Evidence consistently shows that strength, not muscle mass, predicts insulin resistance, cardiovascular risk, and survival. Many older adults are not losing muscle tissue — they are losing muscle function, and that is the pathology that matters. Read the blog here

For all podcasts see https://feeds.transistor.fm/vat-trap

A 2026 BMJ systematic review confirms that weight regain is the rule after stopping pharmacological weight-management therapy. Across drug classes, most lost weight is regained within 24 months, with parallel loss of metabolic benefit. This reflects biological defence of adiposity, not patient failure.

Blog 

Smart body composition scales are not metabolic truth machines. Their value lies in engagement, not precision. During weight loss—especially with GLP-1 therapy—hydration and glycogen shifts distort “muscle” readings. Used within a tiered system that prioritises waist, strength, and function, they can support behaviour without undermining progress.

Blog see https://www.scvc.co.uk/metabolic-health/smart-body-composition-scales-helpful-metabolic-tool-or-misleading-distraction/

January isn’t just about weight loss. Much winter weight gain occurs as visceral fat, which drives insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk. Measuring your waist, not just your weight, gives a clearer picture of metabolic health. Building muscle and reducing visceral fat supports a healthier metabolism long after January ends.

GLP-1 drugs seem paradoxical: they enhance insulin action yet shrink dangerous belly fat. The explanation lies in restoring normal insulin timing, reducing chronic insulin exposure, and reversing fat “spillover” from liver to abdomen. Real patient cases show rapid visceral fat loss alongside smoother glucose profiles and lower cardiovascular risk.

See blog for more details

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Adequate protein and resistance training are essential for healthy ageing and reducing visceral fat. As we grow older, muscles become less responsive, making higher protein intake vital to preserve strength, metabolism, and independence. Building and feeding muscle is the most effective way to improve insulin sensitivity, raise metabolic rate, and burn harmful VAT.

For full story and links, see blog

Raised visceral fat quietly disrupts thyroid chemistry, increasing reverse T3 and lowering active T3 inside tissues. This pushes the body into metabolic “conservation mode” — slowing energy, mood and fat loss despite normal blood tests. Reducing VAT gradually restores healthy thyroid activation and metabolic resilience.

For the full story see blog

One of the greatest challenges in the online world is investigator bias. Any “expert” with a strong conviction — whether pro- or anti-statin — can easily find studies that appear to confirm their view. The internet is full of such cherry-picked data. When presented with confident authority, this can sound utterly convincing to a lay audience. The reality is that true medical understanding does not come from one paper, one YouTube video, or one self-proclaimed authority.

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At Surrey Cardiovascular Clinic, we have seen a pattern: some people whose blood sugar (HbA₁c) is technically “normal” are quietly drifting towards diabetes. Their blood tests look fine — but their day-to-day glucose readings tell another story.

Full blog

Multiple studies show that low-carb, high-fat diets tend to shift LDL particles toward larger, more buoyant LDL (pattern A).
These particles are considered less atherogenic than small, dense LDL (pattern B), typical of insulin resistance.

Therefore, while LDL-C concentration may rise, LDL particle number (apoB) or non-HDL cholesterol may not rise proportionally — and inflammation markers (hs-CRP, TG/HDL ratio) often fall.

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MASLD is a silent but important marker of metabolic health and another consequence of raised Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT). Although often discovered by chance, it carries significant implications for both liver and cardiovascular wellbeing. Through caloric restriction, physical activity, improved nutrition, and early intervention, MASLD can usually be stabilised or reversed — protecting not just the liver, but the heart as well.

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Small dense LDL (sdLDL) is the most harmful form of “bad cholesterol.” It forms when the liver overproduces VLDL — often driven by visceral fat and high insulin levels. Visceral fat sits deep around the organs and feeds directly into the liver, causing early metabolic disruption long before blood tests detect it.

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In families with inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolaemia), mutations in the PCSK9 gene have been identified which make this protein overactive. These are known as gain-of-function mutations — they increase PCSK9 activity and push LDL cholesterol to dangerous levels. For over 90% of people with raised LDL who do NOT have a mutation, there are alternative explanations outlined in a related article and for  readers that are curious about this PCSK9 take a look at my technical article linked to the VAT Trap book series on LDL Cholesterol. Read blog

In the first podcast in the series, the discussion revolves around cholesterol and the fact that while your blood LDL cholesterol determines the development of coronary plaque, your levels are more about your genetics than necessarily what you eat. In contrast, what happens to coronary plaque over your lifetime and whether it causes a heart attack is more about 'inflammation',  what carbohydrates and UPF's you eat and your lifestyle.

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