到底如何才能灭掉肥肚腩?

If you think that belly fat is just an issue for people who are overweight, think again -- even people who are at a healthy weight and exercise regularly can have it. There's no such thing as a "perfect" body, so what's the big deal if your stomach isn't flat? It isn't just a problem of aesthetics.
如果你觉得大腹便便只是胖人的专利，那请君三思了——一些体重正常和经常锻炼的人都可能有小肚子，根本没有所谓的“完美”身材。所以，如果你的腹部不太平，有啥大不了呢？这个嘛，不仅仅是美感问题。

There are two types of fat: visceral and subcutaneous. Visceral fat is the kind that lies far below the surface, surrounding your organs. Subcutaneous fat is just below the skin and can be easily grabbed. You can spot visceral fat via an MRI or CT scan, but there's a simple test for it at home: If you have a large waistline or you're apple-shaped, you likely have visceral belly fat.
脂肪分两种：内脏脂肪和皮下脂肪。内脏脂肪指的是藏在体内，附在器官周围的脂肪；皮下脂肪只是在表皮下方，可以轻易用手捏到。通过做磁共振或CT扫描可以找到内脏脂肪，当然自己在家也可做个简单的测试：如果你腰围较大，或者是苹果状体型，那腹部肥肉很可能就是内脏脂肪堆积所至。

While neither type of fat is good, visceral belly fat carries some serious health risks. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, you're at risk if you have a waistline greater than 40 inches if you're a man and 35 inches if you're a woman (a lower threshold of 35 inches for men and 31 inches for women has been recommended by the World Health Organization for people of Asian ethnicity). We aren't entirely sure why, but belly fat is linked to increased insulin resistance, which can result in type II diabetes. It can also lead to heart disease, stroke, some types of cancer, sleep apnea and premature bone density loss, and there's even evidence that it may be a factor in developing dementia.
两种脂肪都不是好事，内脏脂肪堆积往往带来一些严重的健康问题。美国卫生与公众服务部指出，如果男性腰围超过40英尺，女性腰围超过35英尺（世卫组织建议亚洲人的门槛降低至男性35英尺，女性31英尺），身体健康就有风险。虽然我们不完全明白个中缘由，但是腹部脂肪会关系到胰岛素抵抗（insulin resistance）的增加，这可能导致II型糖尿病，也可能导致心脏疾病，中风，某些癌症，睡眠呼吸暂停症，以及过早的骨密度流失。甚至还有证据显示，它可能是痴呆症的一个成因。

So what causes belly fat? Heredity is one factor. Belly fat has often been called "middle-aged spread" because as you age and your metabolism slows down, extra pounds tend to accumulate across the stomach. This is probably due to changes in levels of hormones such as cortisol, which is made in the adrenal glands and helps the body process glucose, regulate metabolism and manage stress. Speaking of stress, it can raise levels of cortisol, so it might lead to increased belly fat, too.
那腹部肥肉从何而来？遗传是一个因素。肚腩经常被称作“中年膘”，因为当你岁数上来了，新城代谢减缓，多余的肥肉就开始往肚子周围累积，这很可能是因为激素水平发生了变化，比如皮质醇的变化，它产生于肾上腺，帮助身体加工葡萄糖，调节新陈代谢和应对压力。提到压力，不得不说它会升高皮质醇水平，从而可能导致腹部脂肪的增加。

While it can be tough to do, there are ways to get rid of belly fat -- and not just plastic surgery -- but there's no magic pill. Read on for tips.
减腹虽然很难，但还是有些方法可以帮助消除腹部脂肪——不单单通过整容手术——当然，也不存在什么神丹妙药，下文提供一些小建议。