Males most commonly gain weight in the upper torso, around the face, neck, chest and abdomen, leading to a condition known as abdominal weight gain or central obesity, so the beer belly is common and widespread!

This pattern of weight gain is typical of the Android body shaped or apple shaped person and it is estimated that over 99% of males are Android body shape.

Abdominal weight gain leads to many serious health conditions including insulin resistance, obstructive sleep apnea, hyperlipidaemia, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver and also lowered testosterone plus diminished libido, and the condition that develops is known as Syndrome X.

Syndrome X and sleep apnoea leads to a dysfunctional pituitary-gonad axis characterised by lowered secretions of luteinising  hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland in the brain, and abnormally low secretions of testosterone from the gonads, so it is little wonder that weight gain in males is associated with low sex drive.

With increased weight gain in the upper torso, usually the neck circumference plus waist circumference increase in size, and this is strongly associated with sleep apnoea, where a person may snore and stop breathing hundreds of times a night. Sleep apnoea contributes to insulin resistance, so the person’s insulin level may become very elevated. Insulin is a fat storing hormone and commonly leads to weight gain. What a vicious cycle!

Overweight males benefit from nutrients that can –

• Improve liver function so that the ability of the liver to burn fat increases. This is best achieved with daily vegetable juices and a liver cleansing diet.
• Reduce insulin resistance so weight loss is easier
• Promote cardiovascular health, lowering blood lipids and blood pressure
• Boost a sluggish metabolic rate
• Improve sex drive