Body Fat has an Important Physical Role

likitisplit
likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
in Chit-Chat
http://themedicalbiochemistrypage.org/adipose-tissue.php

Adipose tissue is not merely an organ designed to passively store excess carbon in the form of fatty acids esterified to glycerol (triglycerides). Mature adipocytes synthesize and secrete numerous enzymes, growth factors, cytokines and hormones that are involved in overall energy homeostasis. Many of the factors that influence adipogenesis are also involved in diverse processes in the body including lipid homeostasis and modulation of inflammatory responses. In addition, a number of proteins secreted by adipocytes play important roles in these same processes. In fact recent evidence has demonstrated that many factors secreted from adipocytes are pro-inflammatory mediators and these proteins have been termed adipocytokines or adipokines. There are currently over 50 different adipokines recognized as being secreted from adipose tissue. These adipokines are implicated in the modulation of a range of physiological responses that globally includes appetite control and energy balance. Specific metabolic processes regulated by adipose tissue include lipid metabolism, glucose homeostasis, inflammation, angiogenesis, hemostasis (regulation of blood coagulation), and blood pressure.

Replies

  • pwittek10
    pwittek10 Posts: 723 Member
    your point is?
  • mister_universe
    mister_universe Posts: 6,664 Member
    So many big words all smashed together. :cry:
  • royaldrea
    royaldrea Posts: 259 Member
    Can we get a TL;DR please?
  • Jennisin1
    Jennisin1 Posts: 574 Member
    It has come under scrutiny that too much lipo, the actual removal of fat cells, can cause hormone imbalances and issues. However, dieting does not reduce the number of fat cells, it just reduces their size.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Give us the point, Precioussssssss.
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
    Crazy in depth article :O

    That's going to take awhile to read...but thanks for the share.
  • MapleFlavouredMaiden
    MapleFlavouredMaiden Posts: 595 Member
    whats-your-point.gif
  • TravelinChiGal
    TravelinChiGal Posts: 216 Member
    This was entirely too many big medical-speak words for my brain to absorb this early in the morning...

    Ouch...



    1529060.png
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    It has come under scrutiny that too much lipo, the actual removal of fat cells, can cause hormone imbalances and issues. However, dieting does not reduce the number of fat cells, it just reduces their size.

    That's true, but the fat cells need a certain level of stored energy to function.

    The TL;DR version is that your fat doesn't passively store energy. It actively regulates the energy released into your bloodstream, triggers hunger, regulates blood pressure and blood clotting, helps with your immune response, etc. etc.

    The article explains in detailed terms why a HEALTHY level of fat is necessary. Too much or too little throw this active system out of balance. Which you already know. But this is the biology of WHY.
  • xalepos
    xalepos Posts: 1 Member
    Thanks for sharing this. As somebody who got into myfitness pal for because I was underweight (and suffering a slew of health problems as a result), I think that this fact is far too often overlooked in a culture that sometimes assigns an inverse correlation between body-fat and moral virtue/status. Especially for women, a healthy level of fat is crucial in so many ways. Balance in all things.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,029 Member
    your point is?
    That fat isn't all bad. We CANNOT live at 0% body fat nor is carrying single percentage body fat numbers usually the indication of "best" health.
    There are people on this site who NEED to gain some weight, but are terrified of it being a portion of fat.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Also, the website is a great resource explaining some of the things that get argued interminably here in (fairly) simple terms.
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
    Thanks for sharing this. As somebody who got into myfitness pal for because I was underweight (and suffering a slew of health problems as a result), I think that this fact is far too often overlooked in a culture that sometimes assigns an inverse correlation between body-fat and moral virtue/status. Especially for women, a healthy level of fat is crucial in so many ways. Balance in all things.

    :drinker: :drinker:

    point = the amount of fat in your body influences the way your body works in a lot of key areas (i.e. it's not just "storage"). women are particularly sensitive to the hormonal aspect. fat is a part of a healthy person: in the right amounts.
  • Go_Mizzou99
    Go_Mizzou99 Posts: 2,628 Member
    :noway: TL;DR :noway:
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Great.

    So how much do we need then?
  • tallvesl99
    tallvesl99 Posts: 231 Member
    thank you dr. know it all, and in other news...............LOL....wow, I never read so much and felt so ignorant.
    :laugh:
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    Too many fancy words for me :huh:
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    I used to fall asleep reading this stuff in biology.

    Basically, this is the biochemical research that sets the stage for the typical recommendation of:

    20-30% in women (most women read that recommendation as "30 is good, 20 is better" Not so. MID-RANGE is the healthiest.)
    8 - 19% in men
  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,585 Member
    well ive got a lot of it so im set

    right? basically?
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    well ive got a lot of it so im set

    right? basically?

    Not quite. Because it plays a substantial role by producing enzymes, horomones, etc, too much of it can cause a variety of issues.
    Depending on its location WAT serves specialized functions. The WAT associated with abdominal and thoracic organs (excluding the heart), the so-called visceral fat, secretes several inflammatory cytokines and is thus involved in local and systemic inflammatory processes. WAT associated with skeletal muscle secretes free fatty acids, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and as a consequence plays a significant role in the development of insulin resistance. Cardiac tissue associated WAT secretes numerous cytokines resulting in local inflammatory events and chemotaxis that can result in the development of atherosclerosis and systolic hypertension. Kidney associated WAT plays a role in sodium reabsorption and therefore can affect intravascular volume and hypertension.

    So, it can cause you to develop insulin resistance or develop atherosclerosis and hypertension, as examples.

    You want enough but not too much.
  • tallvesl99
    tallvesl99 Posts: 231 Member
    wow thanks for that um fact filled lesson on adipose tissue...i'm sure i'll use it often...kind of like algebra ;)
  • dMonster01
    dMonster01 Posts: 214 Member
    Sir Mix-a-lot has already taught us the important role of body fat.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    It has come under scrutiny that too much lipo, the actual removal of fat cells, can cause hormone imbalances and issues. However, dieting does not reduce the number of fat cells, it just reduces their size.

    I was going to point out the same thing.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    your point is?
    That fat isn't all bad. We CANNOT live at 0% body fat nor is carrying single percentage body fat numbers usually the indication of "best" health.
    There are people on this site who NEED to gain some weight, but are terrified of it being a portion of fat.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Agreed, there are some people who need to realize that fat is necessary for their body, but it seems the majority here, myself included, have fat cells that are too big and that throws off the body just as much as having too little fat.
  • pepperpat64
    pepperpat64 Posts: 423 Member
    Sir Mix-a-lot has already taught us the important role of body fat.

    :bigsmile:
  • miss_jessiejane
    miss_jessiejane Posts: 2,819 Member
    Adipose!!!

    doctor-who-adipose-alien.jpg
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    your point is?
    That fat isn't all bad. We CANNOT live at 0% body fat nor is carrying single percentage body fat numbers usually the indication of "best" health.
    There are people on this site who NEED to gain some weight, but are terrified of it being a portion of fat.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Agreed, there are some people who need to realize that fat is necessary for their body, but it seems the majority here, myself included, have fat cells that are too big and that throws off the body just as much as having too little fat.

    Personally, I hated being fat so much that it was easy for me to lose sight of the fact that I need a good bit of it to be healthy. It's like calories (playing "how little can I eat" isn't a good idea) or insulin. We become so practiced seeing them as things that need to be defeated that we lose sight of their importance.

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