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Friday, October 2, 2009

Theories Of Excess Weight Gain

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.

In an effort to explain excess body fat, scientists have come up with some theories. And although these theories aren't set in stone, they may provide some insight as to why you're gaining weight.

Thus, here are some explanations of excess weight gain:

1. Enzymes. Fat doesn't get stored in your body automatically. It needs the help of certain enzymes to get stored within your adipocytes. Who does the dirty work? Lipoprotein lipase. People who are seriously overweight tend to have more lipoprotein lipase than those who aren't.

2. The quantity of fat cells. It's not just size that matters here, it's also about quantity. The more fat cells you have, the more likely you are to gain weight quickly. When do fat cells replicate the most? When you are young?

3. The idea of a set-point. Proponents of this theory believe that your body tries very hard to maintain a certain weight and any effort on your part to change it results in very specific metabolic compensation. So the harder you try to restrict calories, the harder your body tries to slow down your metabolism.

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. Reduced thermic effect. Proponents of this theory believe that overweight people get less of a thermic effect from food right after eating. They believe that over time this adds up and can lead to excess weight gain.

Now please don't get too caught up with these multiple explanations of weight gain. After all, you do have a lot of control on how your body looks. Consistent research has shown that lifestyle factors account for a very large portion of weight gain regardless of genetics. - 17273

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