Dr. Oz interview from Jimmy Kimmel, May 3, full video segment

By April MacIntyre May 4, 2010, 17:38 GMT

Dr. Oz, courtesy of Kimmel Live

Last night on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Dr. Oz measured the late night host’s omentum -- the organ connected to the stomach where fat is caught and stored.
Kimmel's show on May 3 featured Dr. Oz ("The Dr. Oz Show"), actress Leslie Bibb and musical guest, Two Door Cinema Club.

In case you are curious, the omentum was introduced to the smallscreen audiences by TV's hottest medic, Dr. Mehmet Oz, to discuss the nature of excess body fat.

For Oprah's television viewers, Dr. Oz introduced the concept of the omentum, even showing both a healthy and an overly fat omentum  to people to showcase the biological importance of this organ.

The Oprah segment took a somewhat simplified yet medically correct approach to explaining the omentum, and organ split into two segments called the greater and lesser omentum.

The greater omentum is a mass that sits in front of the stomach, and the lesser omentum covers the liver. Both become easy repositories for fat storage. When the greater omentum is especially large, the abdomen may appear stiff and distended bringing to mind the term beer belly.

The omentum easily stores fat to be readily accessible to the body. When people lose weight, the omentum shrinks, helping to reduce risks for a myriad of health issues. 

Dr. Oz contends that the great concern with a fatty omentum is that it starts inflammatory processes, which can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries. Essentially the bigger the omentum, the more you are at risk for all these ills.

The omentum also receives and stores hormones like cortisol, called a stress hormone. High stress can stimulate its growth. People who are under a great deal of stress may find that reducing the size of this organ is very difficult, and they are often advised not simply to diet, but also to reduce stress through a variety of therapies, relaxation techniques, and lifestyle changes. Stress and tummy fat are inexorably connected.

The healthy omentum should be nearly transparent, and have a lacy look.

A large and unhealthy omentum can be three to four times or even more, the size of the healthy organ. Fat cells extend the organ to make it appear like a weighty, globular mass.

Jimmy Kimmel also gets his wedding tackle checked out by Dr. Oz. Have a gander:  

Part 2

Part 3