| Research has
turned up some surprising insights into how the toxicity of fat itself
might be causing obesity-related deaths. For many years, experts have
attributed extra weight and strain on the heart as the explanation
to why people were dying at young ages. However, while extra weight
has been a contributor to conditions such as sleep apnea and arthritis,
it’s a small factor compared to the damage done by the globs
of fat spread all over the human body.
Recent discoveries suggested that fat-holding cells generated a
mix of hormones and other chemical messages that regulated the energy
balance of the body. When churned out in large amounts by cells
filled to the maximum with fat they attacked several organs in ways
that negatively affected health. These findings also suggested that
fat tissues were active manufacturers of signals to various parts
of the body.
This discovery was first made 10 years ago on the substance leptin,
which scientists found helped maintain fat through the production
of a chemical, which regulated the appetite. Experts now view fat
tissue as the largest endocrine organ in the body.
Statistics on obesity include:
- It is a growing killer that falls just behind smoking under
causes of death.
- People who are moderately obese live two to five years less
than normal-size people.
- The lifespan of those who are severely obese might be reduced
by five to 10 years.
- The biggest threat of obesity is heart disease.
Experts noted that by far the most obvious hazard of overfilled
fat cells were their affect on the body’s ability to produce
and use insulin, a hormone that tells the muscle to generate energy
and the fat cells needed to store it. Oversized fat cells cut off
the insulin message by letting fat slip into the bloodstream causing
the liver to compensate by producing additional insulin and other
proteins.
Other health problems related to fat deposits:
- Congestive heart failure
- Liver transplants after hepatitis B
- Different types of cancer
Yahoo!
News May 11, 2004
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