Adipocytes – this is what the fat cells we know are called – retain the so-called triglycerides, or a complex of three acids held together by the glycerol component. But these are not inert compounds that simply spoil our appearance. This is a working cell, which, due to a number of chemical reactions, affects metabolic processes, appetite and, in general, human health. They do a good job of regulating the processes inside the triglyceride, therefore they are completely independent organisms.
Categories of Fats
Fats come in two main categories. The so-called white adipose adipose tissue predominates in the human body . Brown ones have the function of distilling calories from fat into heat.
According to the functions of fats, they are divided into gender-determining, deposit, and also irreplaceable. Irreplaceable, i.e. important fats in the human body are located near internal organs, nerve fibers, in the bone marrow. The total amount of fat in the female body is greater due to her reproductive function. Therefore, an excess of fat that seems to a woman is just a strategic reserve provided by nature for the future fetus.
The role of hormones in the process of fat deposition
Different places of fat deposition are regulated by special hormones. Estrogen, for example, regulates the deposition of fat in a woman’s breasts, thighs, and a small amount of subcutaneous tissue (which is why women are more rounded in shape). The male hormone, testosterone, on the other hand, “fights” with the deposition of fat in the male zones according to the female type. Therefore, if a man has fat in the “female” zones, then his testosterone content is low. Various synthetic testosterone substitutes, such as steroids, anabolic steroids, reduce the percentage of fat in the male body. Fat in the abdominal area is unstable: it is constantly sent to the liver, which uses it as a building block for cholesterol. Excess fat interferes with the processing of glucose in the liver, which is a signal for insulin resistance, further provoking the development of diabetes and various cardiovascular pathologies.
What affects the number of fat cells in the body
Various factors affect the number and quality of fat cells: heredity and eating habits in early childhood, when all cells, including fat cells, are actively formed. The fat cells of obese people are larger in size and number. The insidiousness of fat cells is that, having reached a critical point, they begin to divide. Therefore, if you do not consciously control such a process, the changes are irreversible. Even after liposuction, continuing the wrong nutritional and exercise regime, a person can return to the previous, or even large, accumulations of fat. If you are told that you will lose fat forever, you are simply deceived. As mentioned above, fat cells are autonomous developing organisms capable of self-healing. And their worst enemy is a moderate, balanced diet and an active way of life. The activation of fat-producing enzymes is promoted by active low-calorie diets, which inevitably entail overeating.
Causes of increased body fat
One of the reasons is the discrepancy between the amount of calories consumed and the level of physical activity, simply put, not all of the energy consumed is consumed, which is expressed in body fat.
Another reason is a violation of metabolic processes associated with a dysfunction of the thyroid gland. Studies have shown that the metabolism of obese people is most often all right. Disruptions occur in metabolic insulin processes. Excess fat under the skin leads to insulin resistance and increased insulin production.
The most effective way to combat excess body fat is to combine moderate and balanced nutrition with moderate aerobic exercise.
A low-fat diet seems to be reasonable advice for overweight people. After all, fat is the most powerful source of calories, even with low consumption, it is easy to “go over” with them, as a result, such units of energy directly direct their way to fat cells.
In any case, excess body fat is the enemy of our health, and must be fought against. A specialist will tell you how to fight. Do not self-medicate, it can harm you!