Tuesday 6 October 2009

A Potential Explanation For Why You're Carrying Extra Weight

By Katherine Crawford M.S.

The rising obesity epidemic is claimed to be a result of many factors-no single villain is to blame. Likewise, excess fat in your body can be the result of a wide variety of variables.

And in an attempt to figure out the fat factors, many academicians have tried to come up with solid hypothesis. Now these ideas aren't the end all be all, yet they can shed some light on how to begin the battle against fatness.

Thus, here are some explanations of excess weight gain:

1. LPL. Also known as lipoprotein lipase, LPL is responsible for storing fat in your fat cells. Proponents of this theory postulate that people with excess body fat have a higher amount of LPL. And that those with lower levels of body fat have lower levels of LPL.

2. Fat cell number. Not only do fat cells increase in size, but they also increase in number. When you're young, your fat cells have the highest replication rate. This theory states that heavier people have a higher number of fat cells and therefore are more likely to store food as fat.

3. The regulated point. According to this one, your body has a certain weight or set point that it tries very hard to stay at. Any effort on your part to change will be immediately thwarted by metabolic slow down.

4. Brown fat. Not all body fat is created equal. White fat, the one responsible for fat storage, is sluggish and wants to hoard nutrients. Brown fat, on the other hand, makes fat cells release their energy as heat. This theory believes that lean people have a higher proportion of brown fat.

5. Calorie burning from eating. Food has a thermic effect. Some foods have more of a thermic effect than others. And this theory claims that lean people will burn more calories right after eating in comparison to heavy people.

Now despite all these possible theories of fat gain, it won't do you any good to get bogged down. Don't think that any one theory is the end all be all to your fat loss efforts. In reality, lifestyle choices account for the majority of weight gain.

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