The massive diet industry is a testament to America's struggle with fat loss. The way fat cells behave in the body may help researchers find a way to intervene in cases of obesity and help reduce total body fat percentage permanently. Learning how to control fat cells can help reduce the risk of obesity and the potential health risks associated with being overweight.
Body Fat Composition
The total number of fat cells in your body remains the same throughout your lifetime. When you gain or lose weight, the amount of fat stored in the fat cells changes. When you lose weight, your fat cells shrink, and they expand when you gain weight. Another element of fat cells that explains why people regain weight after losing is when the fat cell shrinks, it sends a signal to the brain to fill the fat cell again, according to a study headed by Dr. Jeffrey S. Flier, Dean of Harvard Medical School and published in the May 5, 2008 issue of "The New York Times."
Fat Cell Turnover
Ten percent of your fat cells die each year, but they are replaced with new fat cells. This is true for everyone, regardless of age or weight, according to the National Institutes of Health. Fat cell death and turnover for obese people is twice that of people at a normal weight. Fat cell turnover may hold the key to possibly blocking fat cell regeneration, which can be used to treat obesity.
Body Fat Distribution
Body fat distribution may be related to metabolic imbalance, according to a study published in the February 1982 issue of "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism." The study noted that upper body fat is composed of large fat cells while lower body fat is composed of normal fat cells. Of the 34 women in the study, those with body fat in the upper body had diabetic glucose intolerance while none of the women with body fat in the lower body were diabetic. The study concluded that the place body fat is stored in the body can be a marker for metabolic behavior.
Liposuction Effects
Liposuction is a procedure that surgically removes fat cells from the body, permanently permanently reducing fat cells in targeted areas of the body. Fat cells can grow larger with weight gain after liposuction, but the number of fat cells stays constant. Liposuction does not result in a large weight loss, but rather a loss of inches.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: U.S. Obesity Trends; 3-3-10
- New York Times: Study Finds That Fat Cells Die and Are Replaced; Gina Kolata; May 5, 2008
- National Institutes of Health: Fat Cell Numbers in Teen Years Linger for a Lifetime; 5-12-08
- PubMed: Relation of Body Fat Distribution to Metabolic Complications of Obesity; A.H. Kissebah; 2-1982
- Medical News Today: Your Fat Cells Remain Constant Throughout Your Life; 5-2008
- Mayo Clinic: Body Fat Removal (Liposuction) at Mayo Clinic
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