Fight Belly Fat. It’s an expansionist Organ !

By Prabhakar Shetty, Body Satva Team

Belly fat accumulation is now becoming a universal problem for even adolescents and the middle aged, irrespective of gender. For many decades, it was considered as just a problem of excess energy intake and low energy expenditure. This assumption spawned a multi-billion dollars industry of ‘fad diets’ and exercise regimens. Yet, even those who lost weight, regained it quickly. Many drugs were also introduced for reducing fat, but the results were moderate and not enduring.

Various scientific studies of Diet and Exercise, concluded that only a combination of hypocaloric diet and exercise produces significant fat loss, but the combination of diet and exercise has to be continued throughout the lifetime to prevent weight regain. Yet, there are significantly large number of people who cannot achieve their fat loss goals. Fatty tissue or adipose tissue is made up of cells called Adipocytes.

Studies showed that the size of the Adipocyte increases when more fat is stored. Conversely, the size of the Adipocyte decreases with fat reduction, but the number of Adipocytes is almost constant. The number of Adipocytes increases during periods of overfeeding, but the number of Adipocytes does not reduce during starvation. This is the reason for rapid fat regain, when we indulge in binge eating. There are some natural products which are known to gradually reduce the number of Adipocytes.

Then came the discovery that adipose tissue is not just a storage place for excess energy. Adipose tissue is a dynamic organ that releases various hormones and chemicals (cytokines), whose net effect is to make you fatter and sick. People with excess abdominal fat and visceral fat are more prone to various chronic inflammatory diseases like Obesity, Hypertension, Diabetes, Arthritis and other diseases. Further research revealed that adipose tissue has a dynamic regulatory interaction or cross-talk with various organs in the body, like the Cardiovascular system, skeletal muscles and pancreas.     

The diagram shown below (Romacho T et al) gives an overview of the numerous activities of adipose tissue in co-ordination with other systems of the body.

Source: Romacho T et al, Adipose tissue and its role in organ crosstalk, Acta Physiol (Oxf). 2014 Apr;210(4):733-53.

Adipose tissue secretes an important hormone called Adiponectin which is also called the ‘Anti Obesity Hormone’. Adiponectin is deficient in obese people. Almost all the other cytokines, hormones and mediators of inflammation have a negative impact on obesity and health parameters.

It is now proven that Stress and Sleep Deprivation also have a negative impact by causing hormonal imbalances (Leptin-Ghrelin) and aggravating chronic inflammation.

In summary, reducing body fat to healthy levels, needs a holistic lifestyle modification.  

I call this the D.E.A.R. (Diet Exercise And Rest) Program. It has to be a lifetime commitment to be younger up to a very old age.

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Disclaimer

Body Satva Team has taken maximum care to ensure authenticity of the information provided, by sourcing from reputed medical journals and books. Body Satva Team urges members to seek professional advice before commencing any regimen of diet, exercise and medication. The products sold on this site are not for treating any disease or medical condition, without medical supervision. We do not advice self-medication.