Is all fat bad for you? The answer may surprise you. Helena Popovic, a doctor and brain specialist, explores the different types of fat in her new book “The Brain Wants You to Be Thin.” According to Popovic, there are two main types of fat tissue: white (WAT) and brown (BAT). Brown fat is actually beneficial, as it helps to keep you warm and increases your metabolic rate. On the other hand, white fat can lead to health issues if it accumulates around the body’s organs, known as visceral fat (VAT).
Recently, two additional types of fat cells have been discovered: beige fat (or brite), which is a combination of brown and white fat, and pink fat. However, the roles and importance of these cells are still not fully understood.
Understanding White Fat
White fat can be found in two areas of the body: under the skin (subcutaneous fat or SWAT) and around the internal organs (visceral fat or VAT). Subcutaneous fat serves to store energy, provide insulation against cold weather, and keep the body warm. It is distributed throughout the body, including the abdomen, buttocks, thighs, arms, and even the soles of the feet. However, removing excess subcutaneous fat through procedures like liposuction does not lead to any significant health improvements.
On the other hand, visceral fat is located deep within the abdominal cavity and surrounds vital organs such as the heart, liver, pancreas, and kidneys. Even individuals classified as “normal” weight can have a substantial amount of hidden visceral fat. Excess visceral fat can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. It is essential to prioritize the reduction of this type of fat to improve overall health and longevity.
Effective Ways to Reduce Visceral Fat
To lower visceral fat levels, there are several recommended approaches:
- Engage in regular exercise: Just a 30-minute walk each day can make a positive difference.
- Prioritize proper sleep: Aim for at least 6 hours a night, ideally 7 to 9 hours.
- Reduce stress: Chronic stress can increase the accumulation of abdominal fat.
- Adopt a high-fiber, whole food diet: Focus on a balanced and nutritious eating plan rather than strict calorie restriction.
Hormones Produced by White Fat
White fat also produces two hormones that significantly impact health and behavior: adiponectin and leptin.
Adiponectin enhances the body’s sensitivity to insulin, a hormone that regulates glucose levels. By improving insulin sensitivity, adiponectin helps protect against diabetes and heart disease.
Leptin, known as the “satiety hormone,” regulates inflammation and appetite. It is primarily produced by adipose tissue but is also secreted by other organs such as the stomach, liver, and skeletal muscle. Leptin reduces hunger and increases the desire to expend energy. However, various factors such as lack of exercise, ignoring signs of satiety, and high insulin levels from insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes can reduce sensitivity to leptin.
Brown Fat and Its Benefits
Brown fat cells contain mitochondria, which generate energy by burning calories. Lean individuals tend to have more brown fat compared to those who are overweight or obese. Activating brown fat can lead to several positive effects:
- Increased metabolic rate.
- Control of blood sugar levels by removing glucose from the blood.
- Improved insulin sensitivity.
- Reduction of triglycerides in the blood, lowering the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Although cold temperatures and regular exercise have been known to increase brown fat, further research is needed to discover additional methods.
Understanding the different types of fat and their effects on health is crucial for developing strategies to address obesity-related conditions and improve overall well-being.
Is fat all bad? The answer may be very different to what you think! Helena is a doctor and brain specialist herself. Helena Popovic, in her new book “The Brain Wants You to Be Thin”, states that there are two main types of fat tissue in the body: white (WAT) and brown (BAT). Brown fat is healthy, it keeps you warm and increases your metabolic rate, so the more the merrier. However, white fat can cause health problems if too much accumulates in or around the body’s organs. The fat in this area is called visceral fat (VAT), so the less, the better.
Recently, two other types of fat cells have been discovered (“beige fat”, or “brite”, which is a combination of BROWN in white, and “pink fat”). However, the number of these two types of cells in the body is much greater than White and brown fat is much less numerous, and their roles are unclear.
White fat can cause health problems if too much is stored in or around the body’s organs, known as visceral fat (VAT), so the less the better.
What is white fat?
White fat is found in two different places: under the skin (subcutaneous fat or SWAT) and around the internal organs (visceral fat or VAT):
⊙ Subcutaneous fat:
The function of subcutaneous fat is to store energy, keep the body warm, and insulate against wind and cold. Subcutaneous fat can be found all over the body, including the buttocks, thighs, arms, back, abdomen, and even the soles of the feet. Subcutaneous fat is thickest on the buttocks, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet.
Subcutaneous fat is not harmful to health. A study of obese women published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2004 showed that more than 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of subcutaneous fat could be removed by liposuction, it will not lead to any health improvement , whether it is blood pressure, triglycerides or glycemic index, there will be no change.
“Tip”: No need to worry about shaking fat.
⊙ Visceral fat:
Visceral fat, on the other hand, is located deep in the abdominal cavity and covers the organs in the body: the heart, liver, pancreas, kidneys, intestines, ovaries and the womb, and it is also stored in the internal organs. Visceral fat is invisible to the naked eye, and a person can be classified as “normal” weight and still have a significant amount of visceral fat. People with excess visceral fat can develop cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Getting rid of a bit of jiggly tissue under your arms won’t improve your health, but removing hidden fat around your internal organs can add more than 10 years to your life.
Visceral fat is located deep in the abdominal cavity and covers the organs in the body: the heart, liver, pancreas, kidneys, intestines, ovaries and uterus, and is also stored in the internal organs.
A study of older women published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association found that visceral fat had a more pronounced effect on cardiovascular disease than general obesity. You don’t need expensive drugs or fancy treatments to get rid of visceral fat.
“Tip”: 4 effective ways to reduce visceral fat
1. Regular exercise:A short 30 minute walk each day can make a positive difference.
2. Proper sleep:At least 6 hours a night, preferably 7 to 9 hours, depending on your personal needs.
3. Reduce stress:The chronic stress hormone cortisol promotes the accumulation of abdominal fat.
4. High fiber, whole food diet:It’s a “diet method,” not calorie restriction.
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2 types of hormones produced by white fat
In addition, two hormones produced by white fat have a major impact on health and health-related behaviors, adiponectin and leptin.
⊙Adiponectin:
Adiponectin sensitizes the liver and muscles to insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that promotes the movement of glucose (sugar) from the blood to the muscles, liver, and fat tissue itself. If the liver and muscles become insulin resistant, there will be very high concentrations of glucose in the blood, causing systemic damage. So adiponectin protects us from diabetes and heart disease by increasing the body’s sensitivity to insulin.
⊙ Leptin:
Leptin, often called the “satiety hormone,” also helps regulate inflammation. Leptin is produced and secreted mainly by adipose tissue, but is also produced from the stomach, liver, skeletal muscle, placenta, ovaries and bone marrow. Whenever some fat is stored after a meal, both white fat and brown fat will start producing leptin. It travels to the hypothalamus of the brain where it reduces sensitivity to hunger and increases the desire to expend energy. That’s why doctors want to try to control it: leptin not only reduces hunger, it also makes us want to exercise!
In addition to the production of leptin depending on the time of eating, its concentration also has a stable daily cycle. The concentration of leptin in the blood is highest between midnight and 6 am. This may be because he wants us to sleep well and not feel hungry. Because leptin is produced by adipose tissue, obese people tend to have higher leptin concentrations in their bodies.
3 NG conditions affect leptin
Three factors can reduce a person’s sensitivity to leptin so that they no longer feel full, either during or after a meal:
1. Lack of exercise.
2. Constantly ignoring signs of satiety, for example, mindlessly eating in front of the TV.
3. An excessive concentration of insulin is a symptom of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
In addition, there are certain conditions that affect leptin production, including:
● After fasting for 12 to 72 hours, leptin will decrease, prompting us to eat.
● Sleep deprivation reduces leptin production, increases hunger and stimulates our cravings for fatty, sugary foods.
What is brown fat?
Looking at brown fat, brown fat cells contain structures called mitochondria, which are the source of energy production (burning calories). Mitochondria contain iron, which is why they are brown. Compared to people who are overweight or obese, lean people tend to have more brown fat, which burns calories when “activated.” So scientists are excited to try and find ways to increase and intensify brown fat.
Whenever some fat is stored after a meal, both white fat and brown fat will start producing leptin.
What does brown fat do when stimulated?
1. Brown fat increases the metabolic rate.
2. Brown fat helps control blood sugar by removing glucose from the blood.
3. Brown fat improves insulin sensitivity.
4. Brown fat removes triglycerides from the blood, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
This is what needs to happen to reverse the health hazards of excess visceral fat. No wonder everyone wants more brown fat! Until now, the only known way to increase brown fat is to stay in cold temperatures for a long time and to engage in regular exercise.
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