A new report issued reveals that an alarming 88% of Europeans surveyed are unaware of a significant health risk that could shorten their lives. In "Visceral Fat & the Weight Debate" - three leading experts are calling for greater public awareness of this dangerous hidden fat. Visceral fat surrounds the vital organs in the abdomen. You can't see it or feel it but it is a metabolically active fat which, in excess, increases the risk of life threatening disease such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, two of the leading causes of death worldwide.

The report, commissioned by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, makers of the weight loss product alli, presents results from a European survey of over 12,000 adults8 who want to lose weight. It shows that 88% of them do not know what visceral fat is but, after hearing about the associated risks, 61% said they were more motivated to lose weight.

Waist measurement is regarded as the best clinical indicator of excess visceral fat and, therefore, the best predictor of risk. The good news is that when weight is lost, because of its active nature, visceral fat is more easily broken down for energy than the fat immediately under the skin, known as subcutaneous fat. "Visceral fat is a stronger predictor of premature death than overall weight," explains Professor Stephan Jacob,13 one of the contributors to the Report. "Just a little extra visceral fat increases the risk of serious disease, but modest weight loss decreases it considerably."

Community Pharmacist and Honorary Senior Lecturer at Queen's University in Belfast, Dr. Terry Maguire comments: " Most overweight people still see themselves as having a body image issue not a health problem and they need to understand the health benefits of weight loss as well as the cosmetic results."

This January many people will make New Year dieting resolutions and most will fail. The survey supports this, with 61% of respondents resolving to lose weight yet, of the people who had previously dieted at New Year, two thirds admitted to being unsuccessful. Professor David Haslam, GP and Chair of the UK's National Obesity Forum, expands on this and warns in the Report: "Fad diets, which usually promise quick fix weight loss, are unsustainable. They can actually do more harm than good. Invariably weight is put back on, with some of the weight regained accumulating as visceral fat."

The Report demonstrates that understanding the dangers of visceral fat is highly motivating for people wanting to lose weight. The experts hope that a greater awareness of this hidden fat will help people sustain their weight loss efforts this New Year.