True or False - Burnt fat releases past toxins...

juganaut
juganaut Posts: 79 Member
It's an idea that I've come across a few times over the years...

As you gain weight, your fat cells collect and hold toxins, perhaps for years.
Then, when you burn the fat and lose weight, the toxins are released back into your system and make you feel awful.

Has anyone else heard of this?

If so, during your weight loss, have you felt sick, lightheaded, nauseous, etc? Could this be the cause?
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Replies

  • jarrettd
    jarrettd Posts: 872 Member
    I saw it on House, MD. That makes it a fact, right???
  • You can shrink your fat cells but until you cleanse to release the toxins your body won't release the fat cells. That is why a full body cleanse is so important.
  • Larius
    Larius Posts: 507 Member
    False. The oxidation of fat produces mild toxins, which may be flushed easily with adequate water. You should not feel sick.
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
    I heard thats what causes acid flasbacks
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    False. The oxidation of fat produces mild toxins, which may be flushed easily with adequate water. You should not feel sick.

    This is what doctors and nutritionists have told me as well. If you feel sick or light headed you might not be getting enough calories or adequate nutrition to fuel your body.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    False. The oxidation of fat produces mild toxins, which may be flushed easily with adequate water. You should not feel sick.

    Some people do feel yucky because they are not accustomed to drinking water. Some people still try to hold on to their steady diet of soda while trying to lose weight. Yes, fat cells do store toxins. The more fat you have on your body the more prone to inflammation you're going to be.
  • dejagerw
    dejagerw Posts: 2 Member
    I'm nursing, and everything I've read cautions breastfeeding moms from losing weight too fast. According to Breastfeeding and Human Lactation (3rd Edition, Riordan, pp 440), it is noted that fad or rapid weight loss programs should be avoided because fat-soluble environmental contaminants and toxins stored in body fat are released into the milk when caloric intake is severely restricted.

    So as far as toxins getting released through weight loss, it appears to be true. I'm not sure about whether or not you would feel bad from the release.
  • yanicka
    yanicka Posts: 1,004 Member
    Chimical like PBC are stored in fat, the same for hormones. The last one is why some women that have problems getting pregnant can in fact get pregnant after a significant weight loss. I will try to find the articles

    http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/EnvironmentalHealth/22080

    The article has a link to the journal of obesity but I do not have access
  • Melmade
    Melmade Posts: 349 Member
    It's possible, depending on what sorts of toxins are stored. It's common to have headaches from withdrawal from some things like caffeine, sugar, or alcohol--things that might be cut out of one's diet when trying to reduce weight. Drinking enough water helps though.
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
    Nope, nope and nope
  • Larius
    Larius Posts: 507 Member
    Chimical like PBC are stored in fat, the same for hormones. The last one is why some women that have problems getting pregnant can in fact get pregnant after a significant weight loss. I will try to find the articles

    http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/EnvironmentalHealth/22080

    The article has a link to the journal of obesity but I do not have access

    From Link:
    Action Points

    Point out that observational, cross-sectional studies cannot determine causality.

    Note also that the study did not examine whether there were deleterious health consequences due to changes in serum levels of organic pollutants that apparently were released from fat cells as a result of weight loss.

    snip
    Lee and colleagues acknowledged that the study design allowed for potential confounding and error, insofar as each participant had only one serum measurement of pollutant levels and reported their own previous weights.
  • iamlegion714
    iamlegion714 Posts: 50 Member
    I heard thats what causes acid flasbacks

    NICE!!! I can't wait! Them ones are free...:noway:
  • jan_andrea
    jan_andrea Posts: 44 Member
    Some chemicals are stored in fat, but if you have enough to actually make you sick as you lose weight, you have much bigger problems :P
  • Gigi_licious
    Gigi_licious Posts: 1,185 Member
    False. The oxidation of fat produces mild toxins, which may be flushed easily with adequate water. You should not feel sick.

    I approve this message.
  • juganaut
    juganaut Posts: 79 Member
    I heard thats what causes acid flasbacks

    NICE!!! I can't wait! Them ones are free...:noway:

    Will I go completely sideways... man?


    Castration! Double castration!
  • *Bump*

    Bump cause I'm intrigued
  • anthem127
    anthem127 Posts: 1 Member
    Sorry for bumping an old topic but I just wanted to share my experience.

    From the age of 15-25 I was a smoker. I quit cold turkey and never touched another one since.

    When I quit I gained weight and went up to 200lbs.

    Some ten years later I was getting over a divorce and I went on a drastic casting diet where my weight went from 260lbs to 180lbs.

    After I hit 200lbs I started to see this black sticky substance in my shower (I was single then and I was the only one using this shower).

    I am very sure that it was some kind of tar coming through my skin.

    This hasn't happened since but I registered to share my own personal story. Hope it helps others.
  • So far, I've seen a link with a study that says it is possible and more study is required but I haven't seen any evidence. I also note that those claiming it's false haven't shown any evidence either. This isn't an accusation, just a call for reference. Anybody have any peer-reviewed studies to push this conversation one way or the other?
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    You can shrink your fat cells but until you cleanse to release the toxins your body won't release the fat cells. That is why a full body cleanse is so important.

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :noway: :noway: :noway: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • The same 2010 study is still being referenced (article from August, 2013):
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/324017-body-toxins-from-weight-loss/
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,990 Member
    You can shrink your fat cells but until you cleanse to release the toxins your body won't release the fat cells. That is why a full body cleanse is so important.
    You can't "release" fat cells........................they are part of your anatomy unless you surgically remove them.:laugh:

    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
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    idk. i do know that some vitamens are 'fat soluable', so they would be absorbed by fat, i suppose some 'toxins' may also be absorbed.

    i'm not sure what has to happen in order for the cells to release the vitamens (or toxins) tho.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    You can shrink your fat cells but until you cleanse to release the toxins your body won't release the fat cells. That is why a full body cleanse is so important.
    You can't "release" fat cells........................they are part of your anatomy unless you surgically remove them.:laugh:

    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

    i'm not sure if i agree with this or not. I know at one point they thought that your body could only produce new fat cells at certain points in your developement (like adolescence). I guess the idea was that they would just get bigger rather then multiply.

    but this has since been proven false if i remember correctly
  • poohbah4
    poohbah4 Posts: 127
    Speaking as a chemist, it's true that adipose tissue (fat) accumulates fat-soluble chemicals, some of them toxic. Examples, DDT and its metabolite DDE, and other persistent (an now mostly illegal) pesticides, as well as a class of compounds known as dioxins. The levels in fat are usually very low, in the range of a few parts per million, which means that if you're losing weight at a moderate rate, the amount of these toxic substances released back into your bloodstream is very low. Except possibly for some of the dioxins, which are incredibly toxic, the amounts circulating in your blood should be well below the amounts which would have any health effects. Of course, that is spoken in the cold light of science, and I'm sure there are people who take exception to that.
  • Nu_Primal_Me
    Nu_Primal_Me Posts: 36 Member
    I don't doubt that there are toxins in our bodies, but I find it interesting that what they are called, how they are measured before and after cleanses, etc. seems to be very vague evidence/information...what is really going on in the 'toxin' world seems to be a black hole...so can they be released during fat loss? Perhaps...but what are their names and how do you know what the levels were like in your body before and after?
  • Fit4_Life
    Fit4_Life Posts: 828 Member
    It's not on Snobes.com..
    So No.
  • poohbah4
    poohbah4 Posts: 127
    By the way, fat-soluble toxins stay in the fat. They are not flushed from the body by drinking water or "cleansing." It's simple Chemistry 101.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,990 Member
    You can shrink your fat cells but until you cleanse to release the toxins your body won't release the fat cells. That is why a full body cleanse is so important.
    You can't "release" fat cells........................they are part of your anatomy unless you surgically remove them.:laugh:

    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

    i'm not sure if i agree with this or not. I know at one point they thought that your body could only produce new fat cells at certain points in your developement (like adolescence). I guess the idea was that they would just get bigger rather then multiply.

    but this has since been proven false if i remember correctly
    One can increase the amount of fat cells in their body. You can't "rid" them unless surgically removed.

    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
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    Toxins are removed from our body when we sweat, urinate, and/or defecate. So I suppose while we are burning fat, we are eliminating the excess out through one of these methods so I suppose you could say that we are getting rid of it through that process.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    You can shrink your fat cells but until you cleanse to release the toxins your body won't release the fat cells. That is why a full body cleanse is so important.
    You can't "release" fat cells........................they are part of your anatomy unless you surgically remove them.:laugh:

    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

    i'm not sure if i agree with this or not. I know at one point they thought that your body could only produce new fat cells at certain points in your developement (like adolescence). I guess the idea was that they would just get bigger rather then multiply.

    but this has since been proven false if i remember correctly
    One can increase the amount of fat cells in their body. You can't "rid" them unless surgically removed.

    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

    why is it that other cells seem to have a shelf life but fat cells are supposed to last as long as you do?

    actually it might be the same for brain cells... don't know that you can make more of them so i suppose then they are meant to last lol
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