Hormonal Harmony HB-5
Many of us may be considering “burning some fat” so we feel
better in our bathing suits out on the beach or at the pool. What does that
actually mean, though? The normal fat cell exists primarily to store
energy. The body will expand the number of fat cells and the size of fat cells
to accommodate excess energy from high-calorie foods. It will even go so far as
to start depositing fat cells on our muscles, liver and other organs to create
space to store all this extra energy from calorie-rich diets – especially when
combined with a low activity lifestyle.
Historically, fat storage worked well for humans. The
energy was stored as small packages of molecules called fatty acids, which
are released into the bloodstream for use as fuel by muscles and other organs
when there was no food available, or when a predator was chasing us. Fat
storage actually conferred a survival advantage in these situations. Those with
a tendency to store fat were able to survive longer periods without food and
had extra energy for hostile environments.
But when was the last time you ran from a predator? In modern
times, with an overabundance of food and safe living conditions, many people
have accumulated an excess storage of fat. In fact, more
than one-third of the adult population in the United States is obese.
The major problem with this excess fat is that the fat
cells, called adipocytes, do not function normally. They store energy at an
abnormally high rate and release energy at an abnormally slow rate. What’s
more, these extra and enlarged fat cells produce abnormal amounts of
different hormones. These hormones increase inflammation, slow down metabolism,
and contribute to disease. This complicated pathological process of excess fat
and dysfunction is called adiposopathy, and it makes the treatment of
obesity very difficult.
Comments
Post a Comment