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5 Things That Can Cause Pot Belly

Published

1 hour ago

October 28, 2026

A growing belly is often dismissed as a normal part of getting older, but an increase in abdominal size can have several causes. Diet, physical activity, sleep, alcohol intake and changes in body composition can all influence how much fat a person stores around the abdomen.

What people commonly call a pot belly may result from excess body fat, bloating, or a combination of factors. In some cases, however, a noticeably enlarged abdomen may be linked to an underlying medical condition and should not simply be attributed to weight gain.

Abdominal fat is also not only a cosmetic concern. Excess fat around the waist, particularly visceral fat stored around internal organs, is associated with a higher risk of health problems such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This does not mean that everyone with a large abdomen is unhealthy. Body shape varies between individuals, and waist size alone cannot diagnose a health condition. However, a persistent increase in abdominal size can be a reason to review lifestyle habits and, where necessary, seek medical advice.

In this article, Tribune Online highlights five factors that can contribute to a pot belly and what people can do about them.

Eating more calories

One of the most common reasons people gain abdominal fat is consuming more energy than the body uses over time. Foods and drinks that are high in calories can make it easier to consume more energy than needed. These include sugary drinks, pastries, sweets, fried foods, highly processed snacks and large portions of calorie-dense meals.

The problem is not necessarily one particular food. Regularly consuming more calories than the body requires can lead to an overall increase in body fat, and some of that fat may accumulate around the abdomen.

Sugary drinks can be particularly easy to overlook because they may provide substantial calories without creating the same feeling of fullness as solid food. Regular consumption of soft drinks, sweetened beverages and other high-sugar drinks can therefore contribute to excess energy intake.

Portion sizes also matter. Even foods that are nutritious can contribute to weight gain when consumed in quantities that consistently exceed the body’s energy needs.

A better approach is to focus on a balanced diet containing vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, appropriate portions of protein and other nutritious foods. Highly processed foods and foods high in added sugars and unhealthy fats should be limited rather than necessarily eliminated completely.

Drinking water instead of regularly consuming sugary beverages can also help reduce unnecessary calorie intake.

Weight management is not about starving yourself or skipping meals. Extreme dieting can be difficult to sustain and may lead to unhealthy eating patterns. Sustainable changes in food choices and portion sizes are generally more useful.

Lack of regular physical activity

A sedentary lifestyle can also contribute to weight gain and an increase in abdominal fat.

When a person spends much of the day sitting and does little physical activity, the body uses less energy. If food intake remains high, the excess energy can be stored as body fat.

Modern lifestyles can make this easy to overlook. Long periods spent at work, school, driving, watching television or using phones and computers may significantly reduce the amount of movement a person gets during the day.

Regular physical activity can help with weight management and improve overall health. Activities such as brisk walking, swimming, cycling, dancing and jogging can increase energy expenditure and improve cardiovascular fitness. Strength exercises can also be useful because maintaining and building muscle supports physical function and can contribute to a healthier body composition.

However, it is important to understand that abdominal exercises alone do not specifically remove belly fat. Doing sit-ups may strengthen the abdominal muscles, but it does not selectively burn the fat covering them.

Reducing overall body fat usually requires a combination of regular physical activity and appropriate dietary habits.

Excessive alcohol consumption

Alcohol can contribute to an increase in body weight and abdominal fat in several ways.

Alcohol contains calories, and alcoholic drinks can add substantial energy to a person’s daily intake.

Some drinks also contain additional calories from sugar and other ingredients.

Alcohol may also affect eating behaviour. Some people become more likely to eat larger portions or choose high-calorie foods after drinking.Regular heavy drinking can therefore make weight management more difficult.

The expression beer belly is often used to describe abdominal weight gain, but alcohol is not the only cause of belly fat, and drinking beer does not automatically produce a pot belly. The overall amount of alcohol consumed, total calorie intake, physical activity and other lifestyle factors all matter.

Reducing alcohol consumption can therefore be a useful part of a healthy weight-management plan for people who drink.

People who do not drink alcohol do not need to start drinking for health reasons. Those who drink should follow appropriate health guidance and avoid excessive consumption.

Anyone who has developed difficulty controlling their alcohol intake may benefit from speaking with a healthcare professional or an appropriate support service.

Poor sleep and chronic stress

Sleep and stress are often overlooked when people are trying to understand changes in their weight. Regularly getting insufficient sleep can affect hormones and appetite-regulating processes, which may increase hunger and make high-calorie foods more appealing for some people. Poor sleep can also leave a person tired during the day, making physical activity less likely.

Stress can have similar effects. When people are under prolonged stress, they may experience changes in appetite and eating behaviour. Some may eat more frequently or turn to highly processed foods for comfort.

Chronic stress can also affect sleep, creating a cycle in which poor sleep and stress reinforce each other. Improving sleep habits can therefore support healthy weight management. Adults generally need at least seven hours of sleep each night, although individual needs vary.

A consistent sleep schedule, a comfortable sleeping environment and limiting stimulating activities close to bedtime can help promote better sleep. Managing stress is also important.

Regular exercise, spending time with family and friends, relaxation techniques and addressing the source of stress where possible may help. However, persistent sleep problems or severe stress should not simply be blamed on lifestyle. Conditions such as sleep apnoea, anxiety and depression can interfere with sleep and may require professional treatment.

Ageing and changes in body composition

Getting older can change how the body stores and uses energy. As people age, they may lose some muscle mass and become less physically active. Changes in body composition can reduce the amount of energy the body uses at rest, while hormonal changes may also influence where fat is stored. For some people, this can result in a greater tendency to accumulate fat around the abdomen.

Ageing itself, however, does not mean that a pot belly is unavoidable. Maintaining regular physical activity, particularly strength training alongside aerobic exercise, can help preserve muscle mass and support healthy body composition as people get older. Eating a balanced diet and avoiding excessive calorie intake are also important.

It is equally important not to compare bodies across different ages. Changes in body composition are normal, and healthy weight ranges vary from one person to another.

People who notice rapid or unexplained changes in weight or abdominal size should speak with a healthcare professional rather than assuming the changes are simply a result of aging. It may not always be body fat

Not every enlarged abdomen is caused by excess fat.

News

FEC Approves N594.49bn For Eight Highway Projects

Published

12 minutes ago

October 28, 2026

Editor

Eight federal highway projects with a combined estimated cost of over N594.49 billion were approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), chaired by President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday.

The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, disclosed this to State House correspondents after the FEC meeting.

One of the projects is the 18-kilometre Amaseri Road, from Ishagu to Otakot on the Enugu Expressway, awarded at N20.257 billion.

The FEC also approved N11.33 billion for the third phase of the Umuahia-Bende-Afikpo Road in Abia State.

Umahi recalled that the project, which traverses Abia State, had previously been funded under the NNPC tax-credit scheme, but work stalled. He said it was subsequently rescoped, while the Abia State Government undertook to construct the remaining 43 kilometres.

The Works Minister said the FEC also approved the reconstruction of the 95-kilometre E2K-Okey-Ampa-Otopa Road in Kogi State at N160 billion.

“It also approved N209 billion for the 81.1-kilometre Ado-Ekiti-Ijan-Ilumoba-Ikole Road in Ekiti State, including a bridge. The contract was awarded to CBC.

“Other approvals include the 17-kilometre Sokoto-Illela Road, Route A1, at N28.218 billion, awarded to Kespeko Global Limited, and a 30-kilometre road linking Adamawa and Taraba states, with five bridges, at N62 billion, awarded to WeChina Nigeria Limited.”

Other approvals included N89.2 billion for the 47-kilometre Bichi Ring Road, including a flyover, and N14.486 billion for the eight-kilometre Dikko-Maje link road connecting to the Suleja-Minna Road.

Umahi also disclosed that Nigeria would partner with four other West African countries to construct the 1,028-kilometre Lagos-Abidjan Highway, with funding expected from the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The minister said he would meet with his counterparts from Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire on Friday to discuss financing arrangements for the regional highway.

Explaining the proposed funding arrangement, he said the AfDB would provide financing to participating countries to develop their respective sections of the transnational corridor.

He, however, maintained that the proposed financing arrangement was subject to the outcome of the discussions and the bank’s arrangements.

Nigeria’s section, stretching from Tincan Island in Lagos to the Seme border with Benin Republic, covers 79 kilometres. The other sections comprise 89 kilometres in Togo, 576 kilometres in Ghana, 155 kilometres in Côte d’Ivoire and 128 kilometres in Benin Republic.

Umahi said the proposed highway was expected to strengthen cross-border connectivity, facilitate the movement of goods, and support trade and economic integration across West Africa.

News

Why We Need Fresh $21.7bn Loan — Finance Minister

Published

29 minutes ago

October 28, 2026

Editor

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, on Wednesday defended President Bola Tinubu’s request for the National Assembly’s approval of a $20.52bn and €1.045bn external borrowing plan, saying the funds would be invested in critical sectors of the economy.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, had read a letter from Tinubu on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday, seeking approval for the supplementary external borrowing plan to finance projects and programmes across critical sectors.

Amid criticism over the Federal Government’s failure to specify the projects the proposed borrowing would fund, Oyedele listed the priority areas during a briefing with State House correspondents shortly after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by Tinubu.

The minister described the proposed financing as an investment rather than a conventional loan, identifying transportation, defence and security, health, agriculture, energy and power, digital infrastructure, finance and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), social protection, the environment and education as the priority sectors.

He also listed the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, as well as the Kano-Kaduna railway project, among the infrastructure projects expected to benefit from the proposed financing.

Oyedele said, “Altogether, if you convert the euro amount and add it to the dollar amount, it will come up to $21.7bn. And we’ve seen some people with commentary saying that we are borrowing X, Y, Z. I’m pleased and excited to inform you that actually, this does not qualify as borrowing.

“This qualifies as investment, and I will explain that to you in the next few minutes.

“Now, so what is this all about? This is an amount or a plan. First and foremost, this is a plan. It doesn’t mean that we have borrowed. It doesn’t even mean that we will borrow all of it. So, it’s a plan. The average lifespan of the projects under this plan is five years, by the way.

“But this country needs to plan ahead. You can’t be doing everything based on spontaneity and randomness.

“Now, this amount, about $10.6bn out of it, is for investment in transportation infrastructure, from highways and superhighways to rail and other important infrastructure, including Sokoto-Badagry and Lagos-Calabar highways and the Kano-Kaduna rail project.

“The top 10 projects or classifications of where we are investing are, in order: transportation, defence and security, health, agriculture, energy and power, digital infrastructure, finance and MSMEs, social protection, the environment and education.”

The minister argued that the proposed financing would create assets and wealth for the country, saying the value generated would exceed the amount invested.

He said, “Every single naira of these is an investment, and the way this works is that if you borrow $20bn and it is used to create assets and wealth and benefits worth more than $20bn, what you’ve actually done is create a net asset. So, it means that the country is better off as a result of that investment.

“You know, anybody and everybody today will agree that if Aliko Dangote was going to save money to build the refinery, it would not be built in his lifetime. So, he had to take the financing, the investment, to make it happen.

“$20bn is listed now in less than four years, and the value has more than doubled. This is exactly what we are doing for our country. So, this $21.7bn investment would more than double in a few years down the line, and the beneficiaries will certainly be the Nigerian people.”

Oyedele also disclosed that part of the proposed financing would support investments in the social sector, including health, education, agriculture, climate initiatives, energy and social protection.

He said the social sector component would be financed through concessional loans with an average interest rate of about two per cent.

“Now, the other point is that in this $21.7bn, this is very good to note. At least for me, it’s good news. The social sector within all these investments is being funded or planned to be funded by concessional loans with interest rates of just about two per cent on average.

“This is the world saying we want to invest in Nigeria. So, that will cut across investments in energy, social protection, agriculture, climate, education and health.

“And then there is strong development partner support, with about $7.9bn of that coming from multilateral and bilateral partners, led by the World Bank, with $5bn at concessional rates, averaging 2.1 per cent.

“In addition to that, we have regional development finance institutions, export credit agencies and banks. And even for the commercial components of this borrowing, just wait for it. The average indicative rate is 7.8 per cent, which is even below the rates for our Eurobonds, which means you’re getting a deal as a country, even on the commercial investment.”

Oyedele further clarified that the proposed $21.7bn financing plan was not exclusively for the Federal Government, noting that some state governments had approached multilateral financial institutions for funding for projects in their respective states.

He said, “It’s important to note, the last point, that this amount is not for the Federal Government alone. The Federal Government has the responsibility and the constitutional duty to be the interface for all external borrowing.

“So, I’ll give you the data: $3.3bn of this amount is actually for states and the FCT projects, $1.5bn. So, states plus FCT, that is $4.8bn, is for subnational projects and some agencies and development finance institutions.”

The minister urged Nigerians to consider the economic benefits of borrowing when assessing the proposed financing plan, arguing that loans used to create value could strengthen the country’s economic position.

He said, “I took the pain to put this analysis together, and I have copies for you because this is one area where we have to be honest with ourselves as Nigerians. There are people who will tell you borrowing is bad, and you just need to ask them: in which country on this planet do you run the economy without borrowing?

“To the extent that you borrow one naira to create value of more than one naira, you should please borrow more. And to have a president who understands these issues and thinks big for our country, investing in transformative infrastructure, human development and the digital economy, I think we should all be very excited at what is ahead of us as a people and a nation.”

News

FG Approves N70,000 Monthly Transport Allowance For Workers

Published

38 minutes ago

October 28, 2026

Editor

…agrees to begin minimum wage negotiations immediately

The Federal Government has agreed to commence minimum wage negotiations immediately and approved a N70,000 transport intervention for workers for six months, beginning from November 2026, following a conciliation meeting with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

The agregreement came amid demands by organised labour for urgent government action on workers’ welfare, including a reduction in petrol pump prices, improved wages, tax relief and the resolution of outstanding allowances affecting public servants.

The resolutions were reached at a meeting convened by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, as a follow-up to an earlier conciliation meeting held on October 22 to address issues raised by the NLC over the deteriorating economic conditions facing Nigerian workers.

Under the agreement, the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee is to be constituted and commence meetings immediately. However, the parties acknowledged that they had yet to agree on the effective date of implementation of a new minimum wage.

The communiqué stated: “It was agreed that the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted and commence meeting immediately. It should, however, be noted that there is a disagreement on the effective date of implementation.”

The N70,000 transport intervention is among the measures agreed upon to cushion the effects of prevailing economic challenges on workers. The intervention is scheduled to run for six months from November 2026.

However, the payment terms, including confirmation that the N70,000 is payable monthly to each eligible worker, require further clarification to establish the precise scope of the intervention.

The parties also agreed on the payment of arrears of peculiar allowances, which the Federal Government had approved with effect from May 1, 2026. Payment of the outstanding amounts is to commence in November and be made in three equal monthly instalments.

In another commitment to public-sector workers, the government agreed to redeem 19 months of outstanding allowances owed to health workers within three months, beginning from December 2026.

The resolutions also addressed the long-standing demand for an adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), which affects health-sector workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).

On the issue, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) undertook to complete an updated assessment of the cost implications of the proposed CONHESS adjustment within three weeks.

The assessment is expected to enable the Presidential Committee on Salaries to consider and take a decision on the adjustment.

For agricultural workers seeking hazard allowances, the meeting was informed that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security had submitted the list of beneficiaries and the associated cost implications to NSIWC for verification.

The verification is expected to be completed within two weeks, after which the commission is to issue an implementation template.

The demand for tax relief for workers, however, remains unresolved. The meeting agreed that the matter should be referred to the National Executive Council (NEC), noting that taxation is a statutory matter.

The conciliation followed concerns expressed by the NLC leadership over the Federal Government’s handling of the issues raised by organised labour.

In response, the Federal Government reaffirmed its respect for the right of the Congress to advocate improved working conditions for Nigerian workers, stating that it was making efforts to address the issues through structured interventions.

The parties urged state and local governments to participate in the intervention process, while unions were encouraged to sustain efforts towards securing the implementation of the resolutions.

They further agreed to reconvene after one month to assess the level of implementation of the commitments.

The reconciliation agreement was signed on behalf of the Federal Government by the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu; the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Garba Abdul S.U.; and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, CON.

On the labour side, the signatories were the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, and the National Secretary of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), Comrade Olowoye Gbenga.