BELLY FAT – MUCH MORE THAN EXCESS WEIGHT – Part II

BELLY FAT – MUCH MORE THAN EXCESS WEIGHT – Part II

When it comes to obesity and belly or visceral fat, the excess fat develops or grows in two ways. We already mentioned that fat tissue is a storage site for excess food as energy that isn’t used. So, how does the fat cell grow? One is called hyperplasia, which means our fat cells grow in number. So, we simply just grow more fat cells.

The other is hypertrophy, which means to enlarge – so it is a growth in the size of the fat cells we already have. These two means of fat growth are not the same, and they affect our body differently. When fat cells get too big (hypertrophy), they communicate with insulin to let it know they are no longer able to store fat the way insulin wants to do it.

So, those fat cells start to break down and leak triglycerides or fatty acids out, so that insulin will have more room to feed the fat cells with more fat. Now the likelihood of those fats being stored in other areas increases, causing obesity and health issues. In addition, these enlarged fat cells end up releasing pro-inflammatory molecules called cytokines into our body, increasing the probability of insulin resistance.

Hyperplasia (the increase of the number of fat cells), on the other hand, can decrease insulin resistance. We may not like it, because it’s going to put fat on in other areas, but it is less dangerous fat. So, how does our body decide which fat cell growth it will trigger?

According to Dr. David Jockers, a 2009 study published in Computational Biology discussed the role of genetics and dietary factors as to how our body decides this. It showed that a higher fat diet actually promoted the body to trigger the number of fat cells (which is healthier) over enlarging existing fat cells (which is dangerous).

So, the type of foods we eat (high-glycemic, refined carbs vs fats) is a factor in whether we develop belly fat or subcutaneous fat under the skin in other areas. This is one reason why a person who has excess fat distributed throughout their body will produce less inflammation than a person who holds it mostly in the belly. Not “no inflammation” … less.

Dr. Jockers also sites a 2020 study showing links between inflammation, fat tissue and obesity. It states that when we eat more than our body needs, our body creates triglycerides in our fat tissue known as white adipose tissue or white fat. Adipose means fat. There is too much fuel coming in to deal with, so the white fat tissue gets overwhelmed and fat cells start dying.

The problem is that excess visceral fat, increases inflammation all over the body. It puts enormous stress on our liver. Excess fat around our organs and intestines drives even more inflammation, which disrupts our metabolism, creating a vicious cycle of chronic inflammation and related health issues.

What’s different about visceral fat is that not only does it create inflammation, but the fat itself actually becomes inflamed, because it creates and releases an inflammatory molecule that can trigger autoimmune reactions and lead to chronic disease.

Visceral fat promotes insulin resistance more than other fat, and inflammation is a major driver of that. So, if we struggle to lose weight, insulin resistance can still play a big role without you becoming diabetic. What’s more, visceral fat all by itself can drive cravings for sugar and carbs, because it interferes with our brains sensitivity to feedback that affects appetite. It’s a tough predicament!