How to measure visceral fat
The most accurate way to find out your levels of visceral fat is to have an MRI, CT or DEXA scan, Dr Lee explained.
However, this is expensive and impractical for most people and there are other ways of assessing it.
Dr Lee said: “Generally, if your waistband is tight, your zip won’t stay done up, and your seatbelt is hard to do up – it’s likely you are carrying too much weight and may well have too much visceral fat.
“Perhaps it’s time to face up to it, measure it, and do something about it before it is too late.
“But you don’t need expensive scans – in fact – you just need a piece of string!”
Here are 6 easy ways to check your visceral fat, including the string test and BMI test.
String test
Line up a piece of string and cut it off to the same length as your height.
Then fold the string in half and cut. Take one half of the string and see if you can stretch it around your abdomen.
If not, you probably have too much visceral fat.