HEALTH
Fat Facts By Elizabeth Anderson
The big surprises Obesity is an epidemic in North America – no surprise. But did you know that it’s actually low-grade, chronic i n f l a m m at i o n t h at i n c r e a s e s a p p e t i t e , p r o m o t e s t h e sto r ag e o f c a lo r i e s a s fat, a n d i n i t i at e s t h e d e v e lo p m e n t o f i n s u l i n r e s i sta n c e a n d d i a b e t e s?
Yup.
I N F L A M M AT I O N WEIGHT GAIN CYCLE
Inflammation occurs when the immune system is activated when we are injured, suffer an infection or are exposed to an allergen. Inflammation is the reason an infected cut on a finger gets hot, swollen, and red and and why our eyes and nasal passages swell when we have hay fever. It’s our immune system fighting an insult to the body. Recent studies show that one such type of inflammation plays a role in causing obesity, while another causes it to worsen if someone is aleady obese. The weight gain cycle begins with inflammation in the intestines, created when an inflammatory reaction is caused by dietary fat reacting with normal digestive system bacteria. Why this interaction happens in some people and not others is not completely understood, but the resulting chronic low-grade intestinal inflammation definitely favors obesity and insulin resistance. This is one reason that the typical North American high-fat diet is so unhealthy, and why specialized high fat diets (such as the“keto” diet) are fundamentally unsound. To make things that much more difficult, saturated fats in our diets have been shown to produce inflammation in the hypothalamus, the area of the brain that regulates appetite, disrupting its normal appetite-regulating functions. The result is increased appetite and prolonged obesity. Like evil twins at work, as the first infection fosters obesity, another type of chronic inflammation comes along that further increases weight gain and slows weight loss. Adults actually have a finite number of fat cells. We don’t add more when we store fat; instead, our existing fat cells each pack in more and enlarge. As the fat cells grow larger and more stretched, inflammation occurs and this type is a major driver of the insulin resistance that promotes the development of diabetes. As long as a person remains obese this inflammation continues, causing more weight gain and continuing a vicious cycle. Quite simply, the fat get fatter. Losing weight, preventing bloating and cramping and increasing energy are certainly great reasons for fighting fat. And of course, obesity poses far more serious risks for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. Individuals with higher levels of inflammation within their bodies tend to have an increased risk of having a heart attack. The key is to find ways to end this inflammation-weight gain cycle.
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