The 77-year-old presented the two-part BBC series back in 2016 and as part of the programme underwent a full body MRI scan, to really examine the quality of her health. MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging and these types can use radio waves and magnetic fields to produce detailed images of the inside of the body. The results of an MRI scan can be used to help diagnose conditions, plan treatments and assess how effective previous treatment has been. For Rippon, the results of her scan showed that she had high levels of visceral fat surrounding her liver and heart.
Vocalising her anxiety before having the procedure done, Rippon was told she had a “very young heart,” with the “body composition of a young person,” before Professor Jimmy Bell went on to discuss the “more sinister” findings.
During the programme, with an eagle-eyed Rippon watching her MRI scan on a screen, Prof Bell said: “If we have a look around the liver, all the white bits are what we call visceral fat.
“You have a very significant amount of visceral fat.
“We are going to zoom into the heart and the yellow bits around it. Again, surprisingly you have a large amount of fat accumulated around your heart.
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“That physical constraint of your heart pumping against that fat, might be a problem in the long-term.”
Reacting to the news from her MRI, Rippon said: “I’m in shock. This is all a bit difficult to take in!”
Prof Bell went on to say that the journalist had six to seven litres of visceral fat, when the average individual is meant to have less than two.
“That is not good news,” Rippon continued on to say. “I eat well, I exercise, so where the heck has all of this internal fat come from?”
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Prof Bell explained that higher levels of visceral fat typically come from poor lifestyle choices such as a diet high in sugar or someone who doesn’t partake in a lot of physical activity. However, for an active individual like Rippon, her high levels of visceral fat may have been down to the ageing process.
“This is devastating,” she continued to say on the show. “I had no idea that as we age some of us put on lots of internal body fat. Women do seem to be more vulnerable than men, but whatever the cause the implications for me are serious.”
In a desperate bid to try and reduce her high visceral fat levels, Rippon tried to make changes to her diet, which mainly involved adding high-resistant starch foods such as pulses like lentils and chickpeas.
Rippon went on to explain the science behind the dietary changes, which state that when high-resistant starch is eaten, it passes through to the large intestine where it releases an acid which enters the body to reduce internal fat.
A study published in 2015 concluded that there was “strong evidence” that resistant starch foods lowers both whole body and visceral fat. This reduction in visceral fat also made individuals at less of a risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.
Although the addition of high-resistant starch foods seems like a simple change to make to lose visceral fat, the amount needed is “ridiculous”. Therefore, a concentrated form of high-resistance starch that comes in a powdered form known as inulin is often used instead.
Inulin is a natural, plant-derived source of non-digestible carbohydrate and dietary fibre. As well as helping weight loss, the source can also aid with calcium absorption and bowel health. Inulin weight loss occurs due to decreasing feelings of hunger, which can help with regulating appetite and food intake.
In one study, people consuming higher levels of inulin report decreased appetite for sweet, salty and fatty food. In addition, as a soluble fibre, it also helps you feel fuller for longer. As well as power, inulin can be taken as a tablet.
