A nutrition expert, Olusola Malomo, says wearing waist trainers over a long period comes with a lot of risk and may lead to poor lung function besides other associated health problems.
The dietician also debunked the myth that wearing waist trainers can reduce belly fat.
Waist trainers are undergarments that create an hourglass figure by tightly compressing the waist.
Malomo maintained that the claim that waist trainers reduce belly fat is false and a matter of perception, affirming that when the waist trainers are taken off, the compressed belly bulge returns.
Speaking in an interview, the registered dietician-nutritionist, said wearing waist trainers could affect internal organs of the body by shifting their natural positions.
Malomo, who is a Former National Publicity Secretary of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, explained, ” There is no scientific research whatsoever to back up such claims that wearing waist trainers reduces belly fat. It is a matter of perception.
“Based on the fact that as long as the trimmer or corset is on it gives an impression of an hourglass figure, however, the moment it is off, the body comes back to shape.
“There are dangers in prolonged wearing of the waist trainer. One of them is breathing difficulty, particularly when used during exercise. Wearing waist trainers reduces the function of the lungs and this is dangerous.
Giving further insight into the risk of wearing waist trainers, the nutritionist said, “Shrinking of the abdominal muscles because when you wear a waist trainer it replaces the functions of the abdominal muscles.
“This will result in a shrinking of the stomach but this does not mean there is a reduction in body fats
“Shifting of organs from the natural then either above or below causes discomfort, often it causes constipation.
“It could reduce the volume of the stomach thus reducing the intake of food, however, this is not sustainable.
“For a postpartum mother , it could be dangerous and affect the healing process of the uterus and stomach generally.’
Malomo also debunked the claim that consuming certain foods could melt belly fat.
“Some of this information is myths, fads or fallacies. The concept of weight loss is simple.
“Now there is a formula called the energy balance equation. That is; when what you eat is much more than the expenditure, this is a positive energy balance you add up because there is a deficit.
“However when what you eat is less than your energy expenditure this is a negative energy balance. This is the principle of weight loss, reduce intake and increase expenditure”, the nutritionist said.
The food expert pointed out that there is a recognized standard for measuring fat levels in the body through the use of the Body Mass Index which he said was recommended by the World Health Organisation.
According to him, the WHO recommended standard of Anthropometric assessment is the BMI.
This, he notes, is the sum of weight divided by the height squared.
He added, ” If the calculation gives 18.5 to 25 it is termed normal, if between 25 to 30, it’s termed overweight. If it falls between 30 to 35, it’s called obesity grade 1. If it’s between 35 to 40, it’s called obesity grade 2.
“However if it is above 40 this is called morbid obesity. So the target is to maintain a BMI of 18 to 29.5”
Malomo listed excessive and regular intake of alcoholic beverages, beer, and eating late at night, among others as the things that cause it.
According to him, eating fatty foods may take a long time before manifesting as hypertension, stroke, hypercholesterolemia and other non-communicable diseases.
He urged people with belly fat to avoid nutrient-densified foods, meats, barbeque, fussy drinks, alcoholic beverages, beverages, sugary drinks, and dairy and poultry products.
The nutritionist also advised them to shun foods high in saturated fats, fatty foods, particularly animal fats and then work with a registered dietitian nutritionist.
He cautioned that weight loss should be a lifestyle approach, stressing that there are no shortcuts to success.
In a 2020 study published in Cureus Journal, the study authors said that wearing restricting garments could contribute to organ damage by compression, bruising and ischemia.
