Men too, just like women, attach a heavy premium to the way they look. To men, the bronze appearance of Brad Pitt or the rugged boyish looks of Ben Affleck have to be emulated at all costs. Sadly, men have to wrestle with the tendency to accumulate fat especially in the bellies and "wings," which end up forming a fatty ring commonly referred to as the love handle. As sweet as they sound, love handles are the nightmare of every man who wants to develop six pack abs and a trim appearance reminiscent of a modern day Spartan athlete.

Why is it to easy for men to accumulate belly fat and also develop love handles? Is there something in their genetic makeup that makes this part of the body susceptible to fatty accumulation? According to researchers, this is not necessarily the case. Women, too, have a problem keeping a flat stomach especially after they pass 30.

This is predominantly because of a general slow-down in body metabolism, which results in less energy being burned by the body and more food being restored. This inevitably leads to an accumulation of fat in the belly and an additional unsightly "ring" of fatty tissue develops right in the mid-section. This is what is commonly referred to as the "love handle."

How can men rid themselves of belly fat and love handles?

Exercise

Love handles and belly fat occurs because there is more food storage as opposed to food burned. This slowdown in metabolism can be as a result of age or can be caused by an under-reactive thyroid gland. In some cases one could be suffering from a low digestive enzyme count. When a slowing of the metabolic rate causes the problem, exercise can correct this. This is because exercise burns the stored fatty deposits and releases more energy so that the person is more energetic. Specific exercises that target this part of the body, such as sit-ups or working on the bench-press can eradicate belly fat and love handles

Diet

Food rich in fat can result in an accumulation of fat and surely lead to a hefty belly. Beer can also accelerate this process. It is recommended that a diet rich in fruits, white meat, low-fat milk and fibers be adopted in order to replace the fat-depositing diets.

Dietary supplements

There are some diet supplements that can be purchased from manufactures. But be careful make sure you know all about the product you are taking. Digestive enzymes can also be purchased and these are very effective because they act as digestive accelerators causing more food to be digested faster and used up for energy requirements instead of being stored.