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Give stubborn belly fat the boot with the help of anti-inflammatory vitamins.
[Photos: Shutterstock]
Calcium
Supplementing with calcium can help with symptoms of bloat. Try a daily dose of 500 mg calcium carbonate. A study reported a decrease in abdominal bloating for women with PMS that took the supplement for 2 months.
Manganese
Manganese is a trace mineral that when working in tandem with calcium has been shown to significantly reduce PMS bloating. Spicing up your food with cloves, cinnamon or turmeric is another way to add manganese to your diet.
Magnesium
“Magnesium is a big part of converting sugar into energy,” says Dr. Carolyn Dean, MD, author of The Magnesium Miracle. When you don’t have enough magnesium to do this job, your glucose and inulin levels begin to rise. “The excess glucose gets stored as belly fat,” she says.
Vitamin D
A University of Minnesota study found a link between vitamin D and belly fat. The thinking is D reduces the production of cortisol, a stress hormone that causes belly fat storage. Another angle on D is hunger. “When you have optimum vitamin D levels your body releases more leptin, the hormone that tells your body its full,” says Dr. Dean.
