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All Fat is Not Created Equal
Health | February 12, 2015
It’s true. There are types of fat in our bodies that function in fundamentally different ways when examined on a cellular level. Where fat is located also plays a significant role in our health and wellbeing.
Location, Location, Location
Where we store fat can have a major impact on our health and wellbeing. In particular, belly fat, especially in us women, is a sign that we are putting ourselves at risk for long-term health complications. In general, women tend to store fat in their hips and thighs. This is all the more reason why belly fat needs to be addressed and effectively dealt with.
Belly fat puts us at risk for a number of chronic conditions. Worse, belly fat left unchecked may become visceral, meaning it gathers behind our abdominal walls and surrounds our vital organs. Visceral fat differs in form and function from subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous fat lies just underneath our skin and is what we traditionally think of as body fat.
Belly fat in women is also a sign of sustained cortisol levels and chronic stress. A recent study indicated that women with more belly fat produce more cortisol than normal and are under greater psychological pressures. According to the study this was even true of women who were generally considered lean, but still retained some belly fat.
How Fat Functions
Up until recently, fat was largely considered the body’s natural way of storing excess calories. Over the past thirty years or so researchers are now finding out that fat and where it’s located has a whole host of effects on our overall biological process.
For starters, body fat acts as a kind of endocrine gland. According to Dr. Barbara Kahn, an endocrinologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, fat cells release hormones into our bloodstream in much the same manner as other hormone-producing glands.
Subcutaneous fat releases largely beneficial molecules into our bodies including the hormone leptin that suppresses our appetites and burns fat as energy. Visceral fat – again the fat that can form behind our abdominal walls – releases chemicals such as proteins known as cytokines. Research shows that a greater abundance of these proteins due to visceral fat leads to chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, even dementia.
To see more ways how all fat is not created equal, read Part 2 🙂
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
I’d love to know how we check the abdominal fat ? if we have any?
The genes in my family is to store fat in higher hips and tummy…no much on thighs and butts. My grand’ma was obese (like 100kg) and she had skinny legs ( barely no celullite), same for my aunt…all fat was in the trunk. My mum is skinny but still has a rounded belly (well ..poor posture and flabby abdominal wall).
So, yes I have fat on my tummy, but subcutaneous for sure… how do we know from the inside??
Private Member |
Hi Laila
One way of testing whether you have subcutaneous fat or visceral fat is by using a body composition monitor with bioelectrical impedance. I use one at work made by Tanita. You stand on the scale and it measures where/ how small electrical currents pass through your limbs and torso. The speed of the current is affected by body fat and so the scales can get an idea of how your fat is distributed.
Anyway you can up them for home use or otherwise check at your gym as they often have them too. Good luck!
Private Member |
*buy them for home use
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
thanks, I have one that give body fat %. Are you saying some versions will be able to breakdown where/what type of fat this is ?
Private Member |
Yes that’s right. I have the Tanita BC545. It tells you how much fat/muscle is in each arm, leg and in your torso and then also gives a level rating for visceral fat.
Private Member |
Z, what kind of food protein do you eat with meals? Do you eat meat at every meal?
Private Member |
Calories are truly irrelevant. If you don’t believe me, ponder this math: eating extra 20 calories a day over your daily allowance is 20 kilograms of extra weight in 20 years (50 calories extra would mean about 50kilos) . So if your calorie intake per day is 2500, you have to manage your calorie intake with 1% accuracy. That’s a very negligible amount of food and impossible to do. Look up homeostasis and blood sugar regulation: these are very tightly regulated and one thing that impacts them is carbohydrate consumption. The rest I leave up to you. I agree with everything she does but calorie cutting is a complete myth.