What is a Hard Belly?

A Hard Belly (excess visceral abdominal fat) is a telltale sign of a buildup of deep fat that may put your health at risk.

Actual HIV patient

You are not alone. Excess visceral abdominal fat can happen in people living with HIV and lipodystrophy.

Though it's often mistaken for regular weight gain, the development of excess visceral abdominal fat is often associated with HIV infection and the antiretroviral drugs (ARV’s) needed to treat it.
Think you might have excess visceral abdominal fat? It’s time to speak with your doctor about it.

Take the Hard Belly test

Want to know if it could be excess visceral abdominal fat? Take this simple test.

Take The Test

Look Deeper

This short video illustrates why it is important to recognize and manage a Hard Belly.

All fat is not the same

Typically, when people gain weight from regular fat, they gain fat that is soft and doughy and sits just under the skin. This is called subcutaneous adipose tissue (or SAT).

A Hard Belly is a sign of a different kind of fat known as deep, or visceral abdominal fat. Excess visceral abdominal fat accumulates much deeper than subcutaneous fat, around your organs, and is associated with an increased risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.1,2,3

A Hard Belly is harder to handle

Hard Belly can be treated, ask your doctor about it.

  1. Lake JE. The fat of the matter: obesity and visceral adiposity in treated HIV infection. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. 2017;14(6):211-219.
  2. Carleir RY, et al. MRI of intra-abdominal fat and HIV-associated lipodystrophy: a case review. J Radiol. 2007;88:947-955.
  3. Sethi JK and Vidal-Pulg AJ. Adipose tissue function and plasticity orchestrate nutritional adaptation.