Every year obesity causes an estimated 300,000 deaths in the U.S. and doctors warn that abdominal obesity is especially dangerous.

Obesity is a growing epidemic in our country and like many obese people, Herman Gavin has heard some straight talk from his physician. "He told me that I needed to get the weight off, if I didn't it was going to cause me my life."

Cardiologist Arthur Muller explains that Herman's life threatening danger is around his waist, which is known as visceral fat. "It itself produces substances that inhibits the action of your insulin, that causes you to have high cholesterol and high glycerides, that causes you to have high blood pressure, that puts you at risk for heart attack and stroke in the future, and puts you at risk for diabetes in the future."

Dr. Muller says waist size is a good indicator for people who are at risk of having this deep type of dangerous fat and that's why measuring yours and keeping track of it is a good idea. "For women, if the waist size is 36 and over and for men 40 inches and over, which puts them at risk for heart disease."

Dr. Muller also says that pharmaceutical companies are researching medications that can attack the visceral fat but you must take steps to lose the weight and decrease your waist size. "The key is calories because if you eat more than you need you're going to store it, and you're going to store it as fat."

The best diet to fight visceral fat is one that is low in saturated fats. Building muscle through weight lifting exercise will help, too.

Your genetic makeup is between 30% and 60% responsible for the amount of visceral fat you carry. Nevertheless, research shows that both your diet and your level of physical activity also contribute this type of unhealthy fat.