Fat serves important functions in the body such as cushioning organs, producing hormones, acting as a fuel tank, and generating heat through brown fat.
Body positivity emphasizes appreciating the functions of fat while recognizing the negative consequences of excessive and harmful fat accumulation.
Champion athletes in various sports challenge the idea of an iconic size for fitness, highlighting the importance of recognizing diverse body sizes.
Certain foods and cold temperatures can target and reshape fat behavior, boosting metabolism and activating brown fat to burn calories.
Deep dives
The Functions of Fat in the Body
Fat serves several important functions in the body. Firstly, it acts as a cushion, protecting our organs from harm. Secondly, fat is an endocrine organ, producing hormones like leptin, adiponectin, and resistin, which regulate appetite, insulin sensitivity, and metabolism. Thirdly, fat acts as a fuel tank, storing excess energy from the food we eat. Finally, brown fat, a unique type of fat, generates heat and helps burn white fat. Therefore, fat is not inherently bad and plays vital roles in our overall health.
Challenging Negative Perceptions of Fat
Fat has received a negative reputation in society, largely due to body shaming and unrealistic beauty standards. However, it is important to emphasize body positivity and appreciate the functions that fat serves in the body. Excess fat, particularly in the wrong compartments, can have negative health consequences, but it is crucial to remember that fat itself is not inherently bad. It is when fat becomes excessive and accumulates in harmful ways that it becomes problematic.
Moving Towards Body Positivity
Body positivity focuses on embracing and appreciating our bodies for their abilities and functions. Instead of demonizing fat or promoting unrealistic weight loss goals, the emphasis should be on cultivating a healthy relationship with our bodies and understanding the importance of balance in overall health. Recognizing that our bodies are incredible and complex systems that deserve care and respect is essential for promoting a positive body image and overall well-being.
The Power of Personalized Body Sizes
Different body sizes can be synonymous with peak fitness, as evidenced by Olympians in various sports. This challenges the notion of an iconic size for fitness and highlights the importance of recognizing diverse body sizes in champion athletes.
The Dangers of Excess Fat and Visceral Fat
When fat accumulates too rapidly and grows larger, it can become hypoxic and inflammatory, disrupting hormonal functions and leading to health issues. The most harmful fat is visceral fat, which accumulates within the body's tube and can strangle organs. Monitoring visceral fat through waist circumference can help gauge health risks.
The Role of Food in Fat Reduction
Certain foods possess bioactive compounds that target fat, including visceral fat, and can reshape the behavior of fat in the body. Foods such as tomatoes, avocados, leafy greens, chili peppers, mushrooms, lentils, and olive oil have been shown to help fight fat and boost metabolism.
Activation of Brown Fat and its Benefits
Cold temperatures and certain medications can activate brown fat, which plays a crucial role in burning calories and generating heat. Cold temperature exposure triggers the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine, which then activate the beta three adrenergic receptor in brown fat. This leads to the activation of uncoupling protein one (UCP1) on mitochondria, resulting in increased energy expenditure and fat burning. Certain bladder spasm medications, which target the same receptor, have also been found to activate brown fat. Furthermore, there are foods, such as chili peppers, that can stimulate the release of norepinephrine and activate brown fat.
Metabolism, Body Fat, and Aging
Metabolism does not naturally slow down with age, as commonly believed. Research has shown that metabolism remains stable from ages 20 to 60, and only slightly decreases after the age of 60. Weight gain in middle age is primarily caused by factors such as stress, hormonal changes, and unhealthy behaviors, rather than a natural decline in metabolism. By actively managing excess body fat, staying active, and reducing stress, individuals can promote a healthy metabolism and maintain a healthy weight throughout their lives. It is important to align dietary choices with foods that activate metabolism and support the body's natural fat-burning processes.
Dr William Li returns to the podcast to talk about his latest book, Eat To Beat Your Diet: Burn Fat, Heal Your Metabolism and Live Longer. He describes it as an anti-diet book for people who love food. It’s a ground-breaking look at the latest science around how we can harness the power of food, to activate our innate fat-burning systems and transform our health.
We talk about the common foods that are marketed as healthy yet are anything but. We talk about the important role that our gut bacteria play in our metabolism, and we talk about the foods that can damage our gut microbiome, resulting in us processing food less efficiently and potentially contributing to weight gain.
That being said, Dr Li is actually really keen not to villainise any food – there are many reasons why humans choose to eat certain foods and drinks, from our innate sweet tooth to cultural, social or religious traditions. He just wants us to be mindful of what we’re consuming, how and why.
We also do a deep dive on fat. What exactly is fat? Many of us have negative associations with that word but the truth is that fat is a very important endocrine organ. The problems only start to arise when we start storing too much, of the wrong type of fat, in the wrong places. And one of those harmful types of fat is something called visceral fat - which is a harmful type of white fat, not visible from the outside, that can sit inside us, causing inflammation, hormone disruption and playing havoc with the health of our internal organs. Dr Li explains why an expanding waistline and snoring at night, could be early indicators that you have an issue with internal fat, that needs addressing.
As well as being a scientist and medical doctor, Dr Li is really a foodie at heart. And, so of course, we talk about some of his favourite foods which have medicinal properties and fat-burning potential. He also explains why his preferred diet is something that he calls ‘MediterrAsian’ and he is keen to bust some common myths around metabolism – such as, is it true that our metabolism slows down as we get older?
This is an episode jam-packed with insights and practical information. Dr Li is an excellent communicator and full of passion. I hope you enjoy listening.
DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
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