Modern medicine supports the wisdom of the Donguibogam even more precisely. Abdominal coldness, where the stomach becomes cold, goes beyond mere discomfort and can exert a critical impact across our body's overall metabolic system. First, when the abdomen becomes cold, our body perceives it as an emergency and overactivates the sympathetic nervous system. This promotes the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol, which acts as a powerful signal directing fat accumulation in the abdomen, especially around the viscera. Ultimately, the saying that belly fat accumulates from stress alone did not come out of nowhere. On top of this, low body temperature lowers our basal metabolic rate. Just as fuel efficiency drops when a car engine is cold, the efficiency of burning calories decreases when the body is cold, which can lead to a constitution that gains weight more easily even when eating the same amount. We also cannot overlook blood circulation problems. Abdominal coldness constricts blood vessels around the abdomen and impedes blood circulation, which makes supplying nutrients to adipocytes and discharging waste products difficult. It creates an environment where healthy fat metabolism can hardly occur. Recent research emphasizes the importance of gut health, and abdominal coldness adversely affects the gut microbiota environment as well. This leads to a decrease in beneficial bacteria and an increase in harmful bacteria, causing intestinal hypofunction and inflammation, which raises insulin resistance and can increase the risk of metabolic diseases such as diabetes. Furthermore, it can lead to endocrine system problems like hypothyroidism, slowing down overall body energy metabolism. Ultimately, through complex mechanisms such as reduced metabolic rate, elevated stress hormones, circulatory disorders, and deteriorating gut health, abdominal coldness turns our body into a cold obesity constitution prone to weight gain; once accumulated, abdominal fat secretes inflammatory substances on its own, triggering a vicious cycle that cools the body down again. Now, we can hardly just blame middle-age weight on age alone, can we?
