Fat stored on your hips, thighs, and belly is far more than a passive, energy bank. Here are some facts about body fat that may help you keep it off, for good. Sick fat, or the deep, intra-abdominal or visceral adipose tissue VAT , is very close to intestinal organs and is highly inflammatory. In contrast, subcutaneous adipose tissue SAT on the upper arms, back, legs, and buttocks has little, if any, harmful immune or metabolic effects. There is a major problem with inflamed fat: inflammation creates insulin resistance, which affects our metabolism.
In Dr. Brown fat is sometimes called baby fat, since it's abundant in infants, and it was once thought to offer little benefit to adults. Recently though, brown fat is undergoing a resurgence of research interest. It plays a critical role in producing body heat, an activity called thermogenesis, which is why it's so important to a baby.
And studies suggest brown fat plays a critical role in regulating triglycerides, which accumulate in obesity and diabetes and increase the risk of cardiovascular problems. Since brown fat decreases as body mass, particularly belly fat, increases, researchers think brown fat may help prevent obesity. Several studies have compared drinks sweetened with either glucose or fructose and have found that fructose leads to a greater increase in unhealthy visceral belly fat, blood triglycerides, and atherogenic, or cardiovascular-disease promoting lipids, to a much greater extent than does glucose.
Fat cells enlarge with weight gain and age. When fat cells become enlarged, their oxygen supply is inadequate hypoxic. The cells become inflamed and begin releasing hormones, such as leptin. Immune cells infiltrate the fatty, or adipose, tissue and spew free fatty acids into the body. A vicious cycle of inflammation and metabolic imbalances ensue. In , research published in the journal Obesity revealed for the first time that the permeability of the intestinal wall is associated with abdominal fat.
When bacteria or bacterial fragments like endotoxin are able to slip between the cells lining the intestinal wall and enter the sterile environment of your bloodstream, your immune system reacts, causing inflammation and predisposing you to fat gain and metabolic imbalances.
