Obesity is increasing in an epidemic manner in most countries and constitutes a public health problem by enhancing the risk for cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Owing to the increase in obesity, life expectancy has started to decrease in developed countries for the first time in recent history.
Whether due to concern for related health risks (high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, respiratory problems, etc.) or just for sheer aesthetics, many people worry about fat. In fact, at this very moment, thousands of people across the globe are exercising or dieting to reduce their amount of body fat. But have you ever wondered what fat is? When a person "gets fat" what is actually happening inside the person's body? What are "fat cells" and how do they work?
What are Fat Cells?
Fat cells are used by the body to store excess calories (energy) for future use, sometimes for several months at a time! Every excess calorie that your body does not utilize for energy is stored in the fat cells. They contain a huge drop of liquid fat taking up most of the cell, which pushes the nucleus to one side. Fat cells are not inactive, as once thought. In fact they are very dynamic and they interact with the body via thousands of neuro-chemical and neuro-hormonal messengers. An average human body has about 40 billion fat cells which can be as high as 100 billion fat cells in an obese person.
Where are they located?
Fat cells are arranged in two layers
- The Subcutaneous layer (under the skin): They form the ugly bulges on the hips and thighs
- The Intra Peritoneal layer: This gives rise to the apple shaped obesity and all the health risks.
The subcutaneous fat is harder to lose because of the low blood supply but less risky and the intra peritoneal fat is easier to loose but more risky to have.
How do they grow?
Fat cells are determined within the womb as the fetus is growing. At the age of 2 years, they multiply and then stay constant till the time of puberty. When a person reaches puberty, they again multiply. The third stage of multiplication is at the time of pregnancy. So it is implied that these are the three very crucial times when one must eat healthy and avoid adding junk to the diet.
What determines their growth?
The answer is hormones. Fat cells are in a complex relationship with the rest of the body through hormones. The hormone secretion constantly dictates how much fat is to be stored and removed. The hormones which control the fat cell are many but the important ones are estrogen and progesterone. These hormones promote fat deposition on the hips and thighs. Conversely, fat cells also influence hormone secretion. When the person has a lot of fat deposits, it influences the production of many other hormones in excess which lead to polycystic ovary and hirsutism.
What happens to my fat cells once I lose weight?
When one diets and loses weight, the fat cells shrink but do not become less in number. But unfortunately, if a person increases weight beyond a certain point the body can actually multiply the fat cells to accommodate more. Without the combination of diet and exercise, 'they'll be back!'
How can I get rid of my fat cells?
By incorporating a healthy diet and exercise into your daily routine, you can reduce the size of your fat cells, but not the number of fat cells within your body. Liposuction can indeed remove the number of fat cells within the body, but unless diet and exercise are incorporated into the patient's daily routine after the surgery, odds are that the fat cells will return in force.
No matter how many fat cells we have, we all have the physical potential to reduce our body fat. However, fat percentage cannot be rapidly reduced within a few weeks. The fact is, it must involve some type of physical activity and require some type of sensible and healthy changes in eating habits. If long-term weight control is the goal these changes should last a lifetime. For some people especially those with large numbers of fat cells it may just take more time and require a stricter but sensible exercise and diet regimen. Although our hormones control the number of fat cells we have, this is not the only factor in weight management. Our lifestyle and eating habits play a huge part. These are factors that can be changed but only through conscious choice!
