What do fat deposits on different parts of the body say. Causes of fat deposition in our body and the harm of obesity

All more people in today's world are faced with the problem of excess weight. There are many ways to deal with it, but to achieve good results, you should understand the very concept of fat and the reasons for its appearance.

The problem of excess weight arises mainly due to excessive deposits of subcutaneous fat, which at first does not particularly affect the state of health, but rather causes discomfort.

However, there is another type of body fat that can not only spoil the mood with its appearance, but also bring a lot of health problems - visceral fat.

What is visceral fat

Visceral (deep, abdominal, visceral, or trunk) fat- this is one of the types of body fat that accumulates not in the subcutaneous layers of the body, but around the vital organs of the abdominal cavity. It is present in the body of every person and protects the organs from possible external damage, warms them, and in fact is a reserve source of nutrition, energy, which will be used in case of emergency.

Its presence in small quantities does not cause any harm to humans. This type of body fat becomes dangerous when there is an excess of it in the body. The blood supply to the internal organs is deteriorating. The risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and oncological diseases increases.

Reasons for the formation of visceral fat

There are several reasons for the appearance of this type of fat:

• 1. Heredity.

The tendency to develop deep fat can be passed from parent to child.

• 2. Lack of physical activity.

People who lead an inactive lifestyle are at a higher risk of developing excess belly fat than those who are physically active.

• 3. Improper nutrition.

The use of fatty, high-calorie foods, sweets, starchy foods, a violation of the diet - all this contributes to excessive accumulation of fat.

• 4. Men are prone to the appearance of deep fat more than women - this is due to the work of hormones.

Drinking alcohol, which is somewhat more characteristic of the male half of the population, can cause a malfunction in hormones, which leads to excessive deposits of visceral fat. Women catch up with men in terms of belly size, when they enter menopause, the level of estrogen (female sex hormone) drops.

• 5. Lack of sleep and stress.

Everyone knows that it is difficult to stop and not overeat, seizing stress, but not everyone knows that insomnia leads to the appearance of a tummy. Although this is also simply explained - the exhausted body begins to prepare for difficult times, putting aside more in reserve.

The norm of visceral fat in the human body

The presence of deep fat in the amount of 10-15% of the total body fat is considered the norm.

You can check the presence of excess internal fat in the body by measuring the waist.

For women, an indicator of 88-89 cm is considered the norm, for men 94-101 cm. It can also indicate possible problems, in which the mark of 25 is considered the norm.

It is worth remembering about the individual features of the human structure, it is possible to find out whether the amount of visceral fat is normal using the calculation according to the formula - “growth - 100”, if the indicator is significantly exceeded, there is an excess of visceral fat.

Now there are special scales on sale that can determine the percentage of body fat, so there indicators 1-12 are considered the norm, from 13 to 59 excess, respectively, the larger the number, the worse it is for your health.

Why is visceral fat dangerous?

The discomfort from the presence of visceral fat can be seen by the fact that it becomes difficult to breathe at times, the body sweats even with a slight load, there is a constant feeling of fatigue, weakness.

Excess internal fat can affect the functioning of vital organs and worsen the condition of the body as a whole:

• The liver and kidneys can no longer cope with stress, which can lead to slagging.
• Atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension occurs faster.
• Confusion of the diaphragm, which in turn puts pressure on the heart and lungs, which can cause.
• Work failures gastrointestinal tract. risk of occurrence.
• Interruptions in the work of the heart. Which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
• There are problems with the spine, which can lead to the appearance of sciatica and hernia. Progressive osteoporosis.
• Oxygen starvation of the body.
• The emergence of cancer.
• The risk of diabetes mellitus increases.
• Violation and changes in the hormonal background of a person, infertility, in men there is a decrease in testosterone levels, potency decreases.
• Varicose veins of the pelvic organs and lower extremities develop.

Another danger is that it is quite difficult to determine the excess of internal fat, in order to make sure that there is a problem, you will need to undergo an MRI and computed tomography study, and you will also have to pass a series of tests.

The next problematic moment is that quickly, with the help of liposuction and other methods, it is really possible to get rid of only subcutaneous fat, but visceral fat, tightly enveloping our intestines, liver, kidneys, cannot be removed.

How to get rid of visceral fat

As well as from subcutaneous fat, while visceral fat is burned more easily.

The first assistant in the fight against abdominal fat will be diet and normalization of the diet. Meals should be rational and balanced: proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Nutrition should be fractional, you need to eat often, but a little bit. Preference should be given to food baked, boiled or steamed.

You should not starve or restrict yourself in food, you should eat food at the first request of the body (the body tends to accumulate fat for the future). Breakfast should not be skipped. Dinner should be light, preferably consisting of vegetables or fruits. It is better to replace simple carbohydrates with complex ones and combine foods correctly.

It is necessary to count calories, their number should not exceed 1600 kcal per day.

The basis of the daily diet should be fresh vegetables, their amount should be 70% of the food consumed. AT fermented milk products the percentage of fat content should not exceed 2.5% (ideally, dairy products with one percent fat content should be consumed).

The diet should consist of lean meat, egg whites, fish, porridge on the water, durum wheat, and cereals. Dried fruits are ideal for snacking throughout the day. Mandatory presence in the diet.

L-Carnitine, which is part of meat and fish, stimulates the burning of fats, for this it is worth eating lamb, young veal, rabbit, venison, crab and poultry meat. is a good fat burner, it can be added to tea (in terms of getting rid of fat, green is better) or salads. Useful celery, apples, blueberries, oranges and other citrus fruits.

Fast food, fatty meat, confectionery, oils and margarine, carbonated sweet water, juices in tetra packs should be excluded from the menu, the amount of consumption should be reduced, and if possible, alcohol should be completely excluded. Don't eat sandwiches.

The drinking regimen is also important, 1.5 water should be consumed per day - it will help flush out toxins from the body. In order for the diet to give the desired effect, it must be used in combination with sports.

The main means in the fight against excessive accumulation of visceral fat are physical exercise. The fight should begin with getting rid of subcutaneous fat, when it becomes noticeably smaller, then the body begins to use body fat.

Particular attention should be paid to the accumulation of muscle mass, which will help increase the energy expenditure expended by the body.

In physical activity, preference should be given to running (here you should carefully monitor the pulse to avoid interruptions in the work of the heart), cycling.

Tennis, skating and snowboarding, walking, active outdoor sports (football, basketball, volleyball) will help.

At the same time, it is important to pay attention to proper breathing - the body should not experience oxygen starvation.

An ideal tool in the fight against visceral fat is cardio training. 10-20 minutes a day of intensive training on them will speed up the metabolic process, which will help drive the right amount of fat.

At home, aerobics will also help solve the problem with excessive body fat. Running in place will also come to the rescue in the fight against excess fat, it should be given from 20 minutes per approach 3-4 times a week.

Cardio loads include jumping in place or with a rope, 5-7 minutes a day is enough to achieve a good result.

Abdominal exercises can not only strengthen the abdominal muscles, but also get rid of internal fat, for best effect you should insulate the abdominal area (a warm sweater or belt made of natural wool will help with this) - this will accelerate fat burning, while exercises for the press should be varied:

• - classic press.

Take a position lying on your back, bend your elbows behind your head. Bend your legs at the knees, feet pressed to the floor.

• Press is the opposite.

Take a supine position, raise straightened legs until a right angle is formed.

• - Lifting the body with twisting.

The principle is the same as with the classic press, only when lifting, the left elbow should touch the right knee and vice versa.

• - Double press - is a more difficult exercise that requires a lot of power.
• - Rotation of the legs in the prone position.

Press exercises can be done almost every day, but experienced trainers recommend doing this type of load 3-4 times a week.

It is worth remembering that the load should be increased gradually, alternating between power and aerobic. It is also worth gradually increasing the intensity of training. Sports should take place after 1.5-2 hours after eating. A weight loss of 0.5 kg per week is considered the norm.

Additional measures to remove visceral fat from the abdomen

1. After exercise, massage is recommended, especially problem areas, as an alternative. You can try Ogulov's visceral abdominal massage, which is considered a powerful non-traditional healing procedure.
2. Salt baths.
3. Intense abdominal breathing - maximum inhalation and exhalation with tension of the abdominal wall. Repeat the exercises for 5 minutes 3-4 times a day.
4. Women during fitness practice body wraps, although more subcutaneous fat is removed than abdominal fat.

I hope that you figured out what abdominal internal fat is, why it is dangerous for the body, the reasons for its formation and methods, and learned how to remove visceral fat from the waist for men and women.

It is important to know, with all your efforts, that the complete disposal of visceral fat threatens, which will cause great harm to health. And after 40 years, an increase in body fat is a normal process.

In this article, I would like to tell you where fat comes from in our body and the causes of obesity. Indeed, in order to get rid of it, we need to know what it is, why we get fat and also why it is difficult to get rid of it. To understand this, we need to know what is happening in our body and how it affects body fat.

Where does fat come from?

To regulate body weight, there are two mechanisms that our brain performs: control over food intake and regulation of heat production and heat transfer. Entry into the body nutrients directs the food center of the brain. Our body has an express laboratory that analyzes the composition of blood and other media. According to the results of the analyzes, the food center gives signals about the need for food, which is commonly called appetite, and in acute cases - hunger. The “opinion” of the stomach, which does not tolerate absolute emptiness, is also taken into account. His signals can sometimes be heard quite clearly, in the form of a disgruntled grunt.

The body has two sources of energy: glucose from carbohydrates and fatty acids from fat stores. They are also energy regulators. The body constantly solves the question: “How to drown? What source of energy to use at the moment? Hormones help in solving this issue: insulin disposes of glucose, and growth hormone - fatty acids. Reserves are not created to be used immediately. If food enters the body, energy is taken, first of all, from it. Glucose from food affects glucose receptors in the hypothalamus. This leads to a decrease in the supply of growth hormone from the pituitary gland. The concentration of fatty acids in the blood decreases. Glucose is secreted from the pancreas under the influence of insulin. It also serves as fuel after eating. The reserve stock of fat is preserved. Excess glucose is converted to fat and replenishes stores. This is a daily diet.

When food is not supplied to the body, for example at night, fat is used as fuel, the reserves of which are much larger than the reserves of glucose. In addition, a supply of glucose is necessary for nerve tissues, and in case of shortage, for example, at the time of stress, the body will synthesize it from proteins.

The state when such switching from one type of fuel to another occurs clearly and without failures is called a homeostat. The homeostat mechanism may be disturbed, for example, with age. In this case, when glucose is obtained, the concentration of growth hormone does not decrease, and there is a supersaturation of the blood with fatty acids, glucose and insulin, resulting in obesity.

The beginning of obesity

When a person overeats, excess fat appears in his blood in the form of fatty acids. In the early stages of obesity, the body fights it with the help of fat-mobilizing hormones that break down fat in fat cells. Fat cells - adipocytes - actively absorb fatty acids and increase in size. The number of insulin receptors on the fat cell membrane, which is overflowing with fat, decreases, therefore, the effectiveness of its action decreases, and signals are sent to the pancreas to produce insulin, which is already quite enough. Fatty acids, the concentration of which in the blood increases, block sections of cell membranes that interact with hormones, which also reduces their sensitivity.

Excess insulin prevents the release of fatty acids into the blood, and they accumulate in adipocytes. And an excess of fatty acids prevents the utilization of glucose, which is again converted into fat. Therefore, an obese person, despite the reserves of fat, experiences an acute feeling of hunger. Accumulating fat, the fat man loses the ability to spend it. Formed vicious circle impaired metabolism, which can be very difficult to get out of, often requires the help of an endocrinologist. A fat type of energy is created, in which carbohydrates immediately turn into fat. Glucose is not converted into energy and is not absorbed by muscle tissue. The predominant feeling is hunger. A person begins to be commanded by "a kind for everyone and crafty ruler, the womb."

It is difficult for an obese person to move. The load on the skeleton, heart and other organs increases. A sedentary lifestyle contributes to the accumulation of fat. This is another vicious circle that can be overcome by willpower.

There are four main causes of obesity.

Often, to justify themselves, overweight people say: “This is hereditary, my parents were the same.” Doctors call this type of obesity exogenous-constitutional. 90% of all cases of obesity are of this type. Heredity can affect the course of metabolism, different body weights in people of the same height and age are 40% genetically determined. But often the reason lies not in genetics, but in family life and nutritional skills instilled since childhood, because the laying of adipose tissue begins from the thirtieth week of pregnancy and ends by the year after birth. The body of a newborn contains 5-6 billion fat cells, and by the age of 20 their number increases by about 6 times and reaches 30-40 billion. Weight gain by 10-15 kg can cause an increase in the number of fat cells. Such obesity develops at a very young age. Treatment of hereditary obesity is best started when body weight exceeds the ideal by no more than 50%.

Three more types of obesity are known. If a person eats a lot, but moves little, alimentary obesity develops. Cerebral obesity develops if the work of the parts of the brain responsible for the regulation of fat metabolism is disrupted. In children with this type of obesity, sexual development slows down. They complain of headache, dizziness and fatigue, shortness of breath. They have an increase blood pressure. They are constantly hungry and thirsty. In violation of the formation of certain hormones, endocrine obesity develops.

Some assure themselves and others that they are spacious in a magnificent body. “The more the better for a good person”, “while the fat one dries, the thin one dies”, etc. In Russian villages, it has long been believed that a thin woman is sick and useless. Those who claim that they are quite satisfied with solid volumes should be warned. Accumulation in the body of 4-5 kg ​​of excess fat already creates a shift in metabolism, sufficient for the development of many unpleasant phenomena. And a significant increase in body weight leads to a violation of a number of important rhythms in the body and the appearance of premature metabolic changes characteristic of the disease state.

The harm of fats, due to which you should not get better:

1. The creation of fat accumulations leads to an increase in normal physiological processes, the result of which is aging. For obese people, time passes faster.
2. Decreased immune defense. Reduced immunity occurs with increased use of fatty acids as fuel. The increased concentration of fatty acids and cholesterol limits the division of T-lymphocytes necessary to eliminate foreign invasions.
3. The conditions for the development of diabetes are created because of the increased production of insulin.
4. Insulin retains sodium in the body, which creates prerequisites for the development of hypertension and edema.
5. Obesity contributes to the “gluing” of platelets, which increases the tendency to thrombosis.
6. The activity of the thyroid gland is inhibited, which contributes to the development of atherosclerosis and cholelithiasis.

In addition, fat people can develop deforming osteoarthritis, a violation of gas exchange in the lungs and a violation of fat metabolism. It is better not to start deviations of body weight from the norm, but to eliminate them in time. The legendary Lyudmila Gurchenko, who has always been especially distinguished slim waist, in an interview she warned: “Remember that you are not an accordion (get fat, lose weight), there is nothing to stretch the skin and stomach.”

It envelops and warms the vital organs, protecting them from shock and injury, and creates a protective layer around the unborn child. It is not in vain that in the process of puberty, the hips of girls round out - this is how the body prepares to protect the baby, providing it with an insuring fat layer, and at the same time with a reserve in case of lack of food.

When the percentage of fat in the body drops below normal, women stop menstruating - the body conserves energy and does not spend it even on the maturation of a healthy egg. Too zealous "degreasing" has other consequences:

* all the defenses of the body are weakened: for normal operation immune system substances are needed that are obtained precisely from valuable dietary fats;

* the woman becomes more nervous, irritable, picky. The reason lies in the hormonal imbalance, because fats are also needed for the production of hormones;

*increased hair growth- having lost the warming fat layer, the body tries to warm itself with at least hair;

* memory worsens Decreased intelligence and ability to concentrate.

three to one

However, the realities of life are such that more often we have to see the reverse side of the coin - fat in the body accumulates more than necessary. Obesity is defined by the medical profession as "a complex chronic dysregulation of appetite and energy metabolism that takes a long time to be successfully cured."

Moreover, the cure refers to the achievement and retention of normal weight throughout life.

Interestingly, a person in his development goes through only three critical periods when the amount of fat reserves can increase for reasons beyond his control: the last trimester of intrauterine development, the first year of life and puberty.

When a pregnant woman eats "for two", ignoring the doctor's recommendations, she thereby contributes to the deposition of fat cells in the body of the fetus. Babies who grow up on breast milk usually gain weight according to the norm.

However, it is very easy to overfeed an infant if he is formula fed by offering him the remaining formula in a bottle even though he turns away from the nipple when he is full. And the fact that a teenager gains excess weight during puberty is also most often to blame for too "caring" parents.

But if you've made it safely to adulthood at a healthy weight and then started gaining weight, it's almost always an energy imbalance—in other words, you're consuming more calories than you expend. Only in rare cases, excess weight can be the result of hormonal disorders and treatment with drugs that stimulate appetite.

Cells XXL

It is known that food contains proteins, fats and carbohydrates, which provide us with the calories necessary for life. But as soon as you get more of them than is currently required for immediate energy expenditure, the excess will turn into fat within a few hours, which will be deposited on a "rainy" day.

An adult with normal weight has about 25-35 billion fat cells. In an obese person, their number can reach 75 billion. They are unevenly distributed in the body: in some areas there are more of them, in others less, it is individual.

But the point is not so much in the number of fat cells, but in size: each of them is a container that easily changes shape and has the property of unlimited growth. The human body can only store a certain amount of carbohydrates and proteins, but there is no limit to the amount of accumulated fat.

No matter how much it comes with food, it will all settle in fat cells, which obediently increase as needed. Can you imagine a possible future?

You are booked for shopping

The most fat-burning activity, of course, is aerobics. This term can be understood as dancing, active exercise, brisk walking, swimming - any activity that requires deep breathing.

Its increase indicates that the body's need for oxygen has increased, and the metabolism has increased. Also effective are those that involve the large muscles of the legs - they burn more calories than, for example, the muscles of the arms, which are simply smaller in size.

It is also valuable that the fat in the abdomen during aerobic activity is consumed in the first place.

It is best to start classes under the guidance of a trainer who will help you choose your own, the most effective speed for you. Well, if he wasn’t around, please note that treadmills and other sports equipment for aerobics are often equipped with a heart rate monitor, as well as tables with a recommended exercise program for your age.

However, fat is also successfully burned with slow, but prolonged loads: for example, if you go shopping all day long, look after clothes, try on new things ... Yes, shopping really burns 150-230 kilocalories per hour! If you don’t “fill up” on every corner with cakes and ice cream, but dine with chicken and salad and eat fruit, then you can start from quite a respectable amount of calories.

Pears and apples

In which part of the body fat cells grow or decrease is genetically predetermined. It is not in our power to reduce only "problem areas" in the process of losing weight, even if we really want to. Wearing tight belts, "special" shorts and other tricks has no effect, except that it makes it difficult to move.

Our body disposes of fat stores at its own discretion. The famous physician Covert Bailey once remarked that if exercise could lose weight in certain places, then all chewing gum lovers would have very thin faces.

The official medical term for an individual whose fat is located mainly in the lower part of the body is "gynecoid" (informal - "pear"). And a person who has more fat in the upper body, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe abdomen, back and chest, is called an "android" (or "apple").

The distribution of fat in the body is affected by age and related hormonal changes. For example, in young women, "reserves" tend to be deposited in the thigh area under the influence of estrogen to form protective layer around the fetus during pregnancy.

With age, the level of this hormone in the blood decreases, then fat accumulates in the upper body, especially in the abdominal region. The fat layer around the waist in women usually grows with the onset of menopause.

In most men, fat is most readily deposited in the abdomen. Only when it becomes very voluminous do fat cells grow in the limbs and other parts of the body.

Less often, but still, there are "gynecoids" among men, and "androids" among young women. And there is also a uniform distribution of fat throughout the body. We cannot control this process, but do not despair: there are ways to bring the figure closer to perfection, or rather, discard all that is superfluous - fitness will help you with this.

It is possible to strengthen the muscles in the problem area of ​​the body, which will greatly improve its shape. This is especially true for the abdomen and thighs. True, whether you can lose weight so that the buttocks or breasts are not left without fat (and "female pride" mainly consists of it), the body itself will decide. But the benefits of exercise will be in any case: after all, the muscles are weakened from the abuse of diets, and this does not contribute to beauty at all.

Especially harmful body fat in the abdomen: they impede the work of internal organs.

Rush hour

Adipose tissue is by no means inert; it does not lie like a dead weight under the skin, as many mistakenly believe. The turnover of fatty acids is continuous, it is an ongoing process controlled at the hormonal level.

For example, under the influence of adrenaline in stressful situation or during a period of physical activity, fat cells are mobilized: they release fatty acids into the blood as an emergency source of energy needed for immediate physical costs or to combat the cause of stress.

At the same time, the body continues the process of formation of new triglycerides (fat molecules) from fatty acids received with food containing excess calories. The new ones go into the blood, and the old ones, disturbed by the release of adrenaline, crawl out of their hole-cells.

The situation in the bloodstream of a fat person can be compared to the station square: some passengers have just arrived, others are about to leave, and there are always a lot of people. Blood tests almost always show high levels of triglycerides and fatty acids in obese patients.

Particularly sensitive to the action of adrenaline and therefore active in this regard is the adipose tissue located in the abdomen. Given that high content triglycerides in the blood increases the risk of atherosclerosis, androids are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than gynecoids.

However, there is a period in a woman's life when the sensitivity to adrenaline of adipose tissue increases precisely in the area of ​​the hips and legs. This happens while the baby is breastfeeding. If the mother leads an active lifestyle, it is much easier for her to lose fat in this area. So hurry up!

Then the expulsion of fat from these places will be more difficult. However slim figure, unfortunately, is not a priority at this stage, young mothers often complain about the lack of time.

And yet, you can always combine it with usefulness and walk with a stroller with a brisk step, instead of sitting in the park and chatting with friends. Don't be afraid to push yourself too hard - nothing gives you more energy than physical activity. Especially in the name of slender legs and hips.

Cellulite doesn't sleep

Fat is to blame for the appearance of hated cellulite. But he is not alone! Orange peel really occurs as a result of an uneven distribution of the subcutaneous fat layer, but only when the connective tissues are weakened.

With age, they weaken more and more, and the fat layer increases, so the situation worsens. The more fat, the more noticeable, of course, cellulite, but the stronger the muscles, the more inconspicuous.

And yet, the tendency to form tubercles under the skin is laid genetically. There are overweight women with a body as elastic as a ball - they have well-developed muscle mass and strong connective tissues. And ladies who are not inclined to be overweight, but with underdeveloped muscles and weak connective tissue, are at risk.

The most natural way to smooth the surface of the thighs is to get rid of excess fat with a balanced diet and strengthen the muscles of the thighs and buttocks with exercises. Of course, as always happens, it is more effective to prevent a problem. But who will believe in their youth that there are wrinkles and cellulite ...

Fat fat strife

Excess protein eaten is converted to fat, carbohydrates too, and fats, of course, are no exception. But what do you think, which of the macronutrients goes through this process easier, faster and more readily than others? Well, of course, fat, not carbohydrates, as many mistakenly believe, pushing away an innocent piece of sugar, a slice of bread or a plate of porridge.

In addition, a gram of fat provides 9 kilocalories, and sugar - only 4. Why do people lose weight on "fat" carbohydrate-free diets? Because, despite the fact that such diets do not exclude fatty foods, calories in the diet are still strictly limited.

For caloric content, the origin of fat does not matter. A tablespoon of vegetable oil, lard, fish oil or butter is still the same 15 grams of fat or 140 kilocalories. But their source is important for health.

Fat, fatty meat, sausages, as well as margarine and all products containing it (muffins and cookies) can harm. Although margarine is made from vegetable oil, because its natural structure is changed during production, this product raises blood cholesterol in the same way as animal fats, if not more.

You can completely refuse to eat fatty meat and absolutely all types of sausages without any risk to health and even with benefits for it. But dressing salads with a small amount of vegetable oil, eating fatty fish (salmon, cod, sardines), snacking on walnuts, baking cookies from ground almonds (not margarine) is simply vital.

Breathe in health

Calories eaten, not claimed by the body, are deposited in the fat folds. This happens every time you eat when your stomach is already full. Just cracking sunflower seeds in front of the TV, enjoying a cream cake after a very satisfying lunch, automatically popping a candy offered to you in your mouth, emptying a whole box of corn flakes out of boredom ...

That's when the new fatty acids join their counterparts, merge with them together, increasing in your cells large yellow fat drops. Imagine this process when, with a stomach full to the limit, you sweetly fit on a barrel or sit down near the TV in order to spend the evening like that.

A tracksuit languishes lonely in the closet, and light sneakers gather dust in the corridor. But these are our only allies in the fight against fat cells, which, growing, make the body shapeless.

But if instead of sitting on the couch you walk briskly along the evening street, then you will easily spend excess calories - fatty acids will stop halfway in the "depot" and burn out in the furnace of your energy costs. Do you know what they turn into when you move? into water and carbon dioxide. Breathe them out as you run!

Evgenia Kobylyatskaya, nutritionist

Stubborn fat. Women can't get rid of thigh fat that makes them fat, men can't get rid of belly fat that hides all their abs. Don't be afraid, there is a solution. The distribution of fat throughout the body is determined by hormonal balance. Align hormones and stubborn fat will evaporate. And you don't even have to eat less.

This is how the programs of a growing number of organizations begin, promising you perfect body after correcting hormonal imbalance. How scientific are these theories and how useful is their implementation?

The concentration of hormones in your body is measured even without a blood test. This is done by measuring body fat composition by holding the fat folds with a special device, such as a caliper. Local fat deposits in specific places show that something is wrong with this or that hormone. For example, if fat inexplicably accumulates in the subscapularis, then your body is producing too much insulin. Once you know which hormones are out of balance, you can correct the situation through training, nutrition, special supplements, or lifestyle changes. As a result, fat will no longer be deposited in problem areas.

The picture shows in which areas which hormone causes fat deposits.

Divide and conquer stay fat

But before you go to a company that will make you a hormonal analysis, think about it. your fat distribution and fatty weight- two completely different anthropometric characteristics. Fat mass is the total amount of fat in the body, and its distribution means where it will be stored. If you change the distribution of fat through hormonal correction, without simply trying to reduce its amount, you will simply drive fat around the body. For example, during menopause, women "lose" fat from their thighs and legs due to hormonal changes. Fat flows mainly into the abdominal region. The result is a flat butt and tummy. No magical fat loss.

grain of truth

The redistribution of fat mass is not quite what we would like. But sometimes it works. Most men would not refuse if the fat from the abdomen moved to the legs. Can this happen when hormonal balance is achieved? Maybe.

By the way. How exactly do hormones affect the distribution of fat in the body?

sex hormones

Most people are familiar with the folk tale that men take on the shape of an apple (i.e., they deposit visceral and abdominal fat), and women take on the shape of a pear (i.e., fat is deposited in the thighs in a female pattern). Here is a picture that demonstrates this:

Sex differences in fat storage is a fact that everyone can observe in real life. It is easy to think that this is the result of the male hormone testosterone and the female hormone estrogen.

But it is not so. The truth is that hormone production and differences in fat storage are genetically determined. Approximately 50% of the differences in fat storage between men and women are explained by genes. But in people of the same sex, age and nationality, fat is distributed differently - and hormones are already responsible for this.

Testosterone

Let's start with testosterone - boys first. Neither injecting testosterone nor stopping its production affects how fat will be deposited. Testosterone affects the depth of fat, but not its location, so just looking at where a person has the most deposits, you can not tell what is happening with the level of testosterone in his body.

If testosterone really affected the distribution of fat, we would find fat in completely unexpected places - not at all like it happens in reality. Testosterone acts as an androgen (male) receptor and stimulates lipolysis - fat burning. The depth of the androgen receptor is much higher in the upper body than in the lower, and then fat would be deposited in men in the lower body, and in women in the upper. Fortunately, this is not the case, and men do not have female roundness.

Stress

Testosterone sometimes affects how fat is distributed - and then everything is more complicated. Testosterone fights the effects of cortisol, the stress hormone.

Cortisol is a hormone that greatly influences the distribution of fat in both sexes. Cortisol acts like a glucocorticoid receptor, stimulating lipoprotein lipase. Lipoprotein lipase is an enzyme that causes fat cells to store fat inside. The infamous fat on the internal organs in the abdomen is predominantly made up of fat cells called visceral adipocytes. Visceral adipocytes have more glucocorticoid receptors than other fat cells. There are much fewer glucocorticoid receptors in subcutaneous fat. And there are even fewer glucocorticoid receptors in fat cells on the hips and upper legs.

This means that cortisol causes fat to be deposited in the abdominal region, less in the rest of the body, and even less in the legs. It's true what they say that stress makes your belly bigger.

Testosterone is a cortisol antagonist. Testosterone and cortisol are constantly fighting over the activity of lipoprotein lipase, the enzyme that opens up fat cells to fat. Cortisol stimulates lipoprotein lipase, while testosterone inhibits it. Testosterone inhibits the action of cortisol. Cortisol will only store belly fat if there isn't enough testosterone to get in the way.

Estrogen

In male bodies, the effect of estrogen is combined with the effect of testosterone. Estrogen production (estradiol + estrone + estriol) is usually proportional to androgen production (in a healthy male). The main producer of estrogen is the aromatase enzyme. Aromatase converts androgens to estrogens. Most estrogen comes from the conversion of testosterone to estradiol. The picture below shows the complete biosynthesis of estrogen from androgens.

In other words, estrogen is always in proportion to testosterone. They go up together, they go down together. In a healthy male body, it is impossible to separate the fat-storing effect of testosterone from estrogen.

Women

What testosterone does to men, estrogen does to women. In the female body, estrogen is the primary antagonist of cortisol, which reduces the activity of lipoprotein lipase. A woman with high estrogen levels will have a pear-shaped body type. In women with low levels of estrogen, fat will be distributed more evenly in the body, more fat will be on the abdomen and trunk, less fat in the lower body. And while estrogen is responsible for lower body fat, it is also responsible for the lack of belly fat.

Testosterone in the female body is opposed to estrogen and centralizes fat deposition in the manner of cortisol. These mechanisms have not yet been elucidated, but we are already seeing that during menopause, testosterone levels increase and estrogen levels decrease. Fat moves from the bottom to the top. The same thing happens with transsexuals who go from women to men: the type of fat distribution becomes more masculine (pear to apple). Estrogen counteracts this effect of testosterone by reducing the density of androgen receptors. Estrogen also stimulates the production of growth hormone.

Fat reduction with growth hormone

Contrary to its name, growth hormone reduces body fat. Growth hormone is a cortisol antagonist, it increases the anticortisol activity of testosterone in men and estrogen in women. High levels of growth hormone help burn belly fat, secondarily fat in the torso, and lastly fat in the lower body.

From the graph above, it was clear that the calves and knees are areas where the amount of fat is determined by the level of growth hormone. This was discovered in 1981 by a group of doctors from Emory University. They developed the Z formula, based on measurements of the density of fat folds, which diagnosed growth hormone deficiency with 90% accuracy. But here is a trap. And even two.

First, fat distribution associated with growth hormone deficiency is directly related to high cortisol. The thickness of the fat folds, which was greater in individuals with low growth hormone compared to healthy individuals, is the folds on the abdomen, chest and back. Knees and calves were in 4th and 5th places on the predictor's podium. So this distribution of fat may be associated not so much with a deficiency of growth hormone, but also with high levels of the hormone cortisol, and in women with low estrogen and high testosterone. Researchers made a connection with growth hormone just because it was a study among small children. Height, i.e. short stature, is the number one sign of low growth hormone levels, and only a combination of short stature and central fat deposition can identify a child with growth hormone deficiency.

Children with growth hormone deficiency, by the way, did not have a lot of fat in their knees and calves.

Progesterone

Progesterone is the hormone that embodies the complexity of women. Its influence completely depends on the physiological state. Progesterone stimulates lipoprotein lipase and may thus increase fat storage, but it also blocks glucocorticoid receptors and thus reduces the fat-gathering effect of cortisol.

To complicate matters further, progesterone reduces the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. More progesterone means less estrogen, especially in men. And less estrogen means less effect of progesterone itself, since estrogen and progesterone interact seriously.

This is why progesterone is usually overlooked when trying to improve the hormonal background, despite the fact that it is directly related to fat deposition.

Thyroid hormone: some more pseudoscience

In offices for the establishment of hormonal levels, they claim that excessive fat deposition on chest indicates low levels of thyroid hormone. Studies say the opposite: obesity is associated with the activity of this hormone.

Usually, people with excess chest fat are characterized by a high concentration of the most active thyroid hormone: free T3 (triiodothyronine). There are several mechanisms by which thyroid activity leads to obesity. For example, leptin, a hormone that fat cells produce, stimulates the conversion of T4 (thyroxine) to the more active T3 by altering deiodinase activity.

Normally, thyroid hormone production is linearly related to total body weight. The fatter you are, the more active thyroid. The more you are, the higher you are, and the thyroid gland - main regulator metabolism.

Changes in thyroid function, and therefore metabolism, are a thermoadaptive response for evolutionary purposes. If you lose weight, thyroid activity decreases to reduce your energy expenditure and protect you from hunger. If you gain weight, thyroid activity goes up to protect you from obesity. If the evolutionary advantage of thinness is not obvious to you, understand that being overweight is associated with numerous possible pathologies and diseases, including infertility.

Insulin: the truth under the layer of fat

Insulin is a storage hormone. With good intentions. Insulin strongly interacts with lipoprotein lipase, depositing fatty acids from the blood into adipose tissue. If cortisol stimulates the production of lipoprotein lipase, insulin reinforces the action of cortisol. High insulin levels lead to the storage of fat in the middle part of the body.

It is believed that high insulin levels are responsible for the deposition of fat on the sides and back - and this is not far from the truth. This is the middle part of the body. Why there? There is an old study. In the good old days, when the cult of youth had not yet corrupted our society, in order for the body to take a fold of fat from the triceps. Rear end hands can indeed contain a lot of fat. Then studies showed that the subscapular fold would better show problems with insulin. The link between insulin sensitivity and back fat disappears when belly fat is also taken into account. High insulin levels are associated with midbody fat storage, and the infrascapularis is more midsection than the triceps, but less so than the abdomen.

Summary: Hormonal regulation of local fat deposits

How do hormones affect where you store fat? This is easy to summarize. In men, fat is genetically deposited in the middle of the body, giving them a banana shape. Women naturally have the shape of a pear, since fat is deposited mainly on the hips and legs. Only in one natural form of the figure is regulated by hormones: cortisol centralizes fat deposition in the abdomen. Other hormones are not able to somehow change the strongest effect of cortisol. Hormones do not affect for local fat deposition.

The picture below illustrates the hormonal regulation of local fat deposits. Straight lines mean a stimulating effect. Broken arrows show suppressive effect. Visceral adipose tissue shows an example of fat deposition in the middle part of the body, less in other parts, and least of all in the lower part of the body. In women, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone affect fat differently.

Pseudoscience vs Science

This is not to say that each hormone has its own square inch on the human body, where the deposition of fat occurs. Gender differences in the hormonal effects of testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone are of great importance. The following table shows what they say "of the people" and how things really are.

Hormone	folk beliefs	science says
Testosterone	Fat deposits on the chest and triceps	Decentralizes body fat in men depending on the concentration of cortisol, slightly centralizes them in women
Estrogen	Hips and legs	Suppresses testosterone in men, decentralizes body fat in women
Cortisol	Stomach	Centralizes body fat
A growth hormone	knees and calves	Decentralizes body fat
Progesterone	No way	Decentralizes body fat based on estrogen and cortisol levels
Thyroid hormones	Breast	Does not affect fat distribution
Insulin	Sides and back	Strengthens the effect of cortisol

And further

The notion that fat is deposited in specific places due to the influence of hormones is fundamentally wrong. Fat affects hormones more than hormones affect fat! Fat regulates the activity of the thyroid gland, and thyroid hormones do not affect the places where fat is stored. And besides, fat does a lot of other things besides affecting the thyroid gland.

Focusing on fat

Contrary to what the average person thinks, adipose tissue is not some nasty place. Adipose tissue is a complex organ that affects the functioning of adipocytes. For example, white and beige tallow were discovered more recently, while brown tallow was discovered as early as the 16th century.

More importantly, adipose tissue is very active. Fat cells are involved in blood circulation, interact with nerve cells and immune cells. Adipose tissue is metabolically active, it is a very important endocrine organ. It regulates the secretion of many hormones, growth factors, and enzymes, including the following:

• Adiponectin - regulates blood sugar
• Resistin - regulates cholesterol in the arteries
• Adipokinesis - regulates the immune system
• PAI-1 (we will not decipher, too complicated) - regulates blood clotting
• Leptin - regulates metabolism and appetite
• TNF and interleukin - regulate inflammation
• IGD-1 - regulates cell division and growth
• Aromatase - converts androgens (testosterone) into estrogens
• Estrogen - after menopause, women get 100% of estrogen from adipose tissue
• Testosterone - half of female testosterone is made from adipose tissue.

Bad visceral fat and diabetes

Adipose tissue is actively involved in most systems of our body. But the functions of adipose tissue and its composition are determined by its location in the body.

Belly fat counteracts the insulin effect. To absorb fatty acids from the abdomen, you need a lot of insulin. This is bad, because the visceral fat stuck in the abdomen is directly related to the liver. If you have a big tummy, your liver is flooded with fatty acids that resist insulin. The liver has to compensate by clearing less insulin from your body. As a result, insulin levels are chronically high. In the process, the production of interleukins in adipose tissue, especially in visceral adipose tissue, is increased, which causes inflammation and insulin resistance. This impairs blood sugar regulation. And then ordinary obesity turns into type 2 diabetes.

Obesity is the king of all diseases

Chronically high insulin levels stimulate the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. Adipose tissue, in fact, reproduces a large number of testosterone in women and estrogen in men. As a result, the hormonal profile of fat men resembles that of women: higher estrogen, lower testosterone. In turn, fat women have high testosterone levels.

This hormonal profile hyperactivates the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. This means that the brain is losing control of hormonal balance, which is why obese women have irregular periods. The hypersensitive hypothalamic-pituitary axis is highly responsive to stress and increases cortisol production. And the secretion of growth hormone is reduced.

If you understand how hormones affect fat distribution, you will see that obesity makes your hormonal profile too one-sided. All hormones that decentralize fat distribution are depressed, and all hormones that centralize fat distribution are stimulated. Therefore, obesity in both sexes leads to an apple-shaped figure and leads to metabolic syndrome.

Fat is the cause, not the result

The mechanisms that turn obesity into a hormonal imbalance are much stronger than the actions of the hormones themselves. In healthy people, insulin has minimal effect on body fat, but obesity leads to insulin resistance. A healthy body meticulously regulates all mechanisms and systems, such as blood glucose levels. That is why the amount of insulin and glycemic index the product does not matter if you are healthy.

This is true for other hormones as well. Only serious clinical pathologies and diseases, such as obesity, affect body fat. Still - menopause (decrease in estrogen, increase in testosterone), Cushing's syndrome (excess cortisol), acromegaly (excess production of growth hormone) and transsexuality. Small changes like diet, exercise, and supplements don't affect body fat in any way if you're lean and healthy.

How it works?

So how does the notorious "debugging" of hormones work? The internet is full of before and after photos and recommendations. And this success is very easy to explain.

Take any potential fat man. We will randomly select one of his folds and the hormone associated with it and tell him that it is the hormone that causes his fat distribution, and that this can be corrected. estrogen, low growth hormone, high insulin, and high cortisol. And you will be right, since this is exactly the hormonal profile that an overweight man will have.

Now we give a person universal advice on weight loss and as a load we give out a ton of dietary supplements to solve the problem.

In the case of thyroid hormones or sex hormones in women, you can be seriously mistaken. But that doesn't mean anything. The solution to the problem is always the same: weight loss. And when the weight is reduced, you can always say - "see? we corrected your hormonal imbalance." The benefit is there.

Verdict

Being fat is unhealthy and unaesthetic. The solution is weight loss. It's that simple. But the truth is not so attractive. People like to think that there are other reasons behind their weight gain, and not just overeating. People want to hear that there is some new program with (pseudo)scientific solutions - anything but a diet. And if, in addition, you can still suck in a certain amount of additives, even better! Success is easier to swallow from a pill than hard truth.

Here is a short message from the whole long confusing story. Be realistic, don't have illusions about your body, and don't be fooled by marketers. You don't have to buy tons of supplements to look attractive. If there is reason to think that you have a hormonal imbalance, donate blood. If you need help reaching your fitness goals, hire a personal trainer who knows what he's talking about, not just brainwashed. Build your fitness program on real science, not on a fairy tale, and as a result, the body of your dreams will come true.

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28.05.2006

BODY FAT DISTRIBUTION

Fats are not the same.
The location of body fat on our body depends on gender, genetic structure, lifestyle and hormonal balance.
Most men have an apple-shaped figure. They accumulate fat around the abdomen, heart and intestines.
In women, the figure is pear-shaped, and fat is deposited on the buttocks, outer and inner thighs.

Excess fat is stored in the fat cells that make up adipose tissue. We lay down fat cells in childhood and early adolescence, but after they have appeared, it is almost impossible to get rid of them. All we can do is only reduce their volume, not the quantity. There are a number of factors that determine where and how fat is stored and removed in our body. Let's get to know some of them.

FAT DEPOSIT AND REMOVAL

On the surface of each fat cell are microscopic structures called receptors. It is the receptors that control the process of accumulation and removal of fat. Think of them as little doors that open and close based on our body's chemical signals, letting fat in or out of fat cells.

Studies have shown that there are several types of receptors: some are responsible for the accumulation of fat, others for its removal. The former are called alpha-2 receptors. They are stimulated by insulin, which is released when there is excess fat in the blood, such as after a meal.

Excess sugar can also be converted to fat, which is similarly stored in fat cells by alpha-2 receptors.

The receptors that control the release of fat from fat cells into the bloodstream are called beta receptors. They are stimulated by hormones such as thyroxine and adrenaline, as well as other substances of natural origin. If we want to stimulate the release of fat from fat cells, then we need to know exactly which chemical substances and drugs mimic the action of our body's natural hormones and are able to "deceive" beta receptors by forcing them to "open" and release fat.

Indeed, there are a number of substances and medicines that have such an effect. Small doses of caffeine, aminophylline (an asthma drug), silicon, cobalt, zinc and manganese can stimulate beta receptors, but we need to know how best to use them to achieve the desired result.

For example, small doses of caffeine taken by mouth increase the metabolic rate (the rate at which we burn calories), but too much caffeine causes blood vessels to constrict, thus slowing down blood flow, which is undesirable in the treatment of cellulite.

However, when applied to the skin, caffeine easily penetrates the skin and stimulates the beta receptors that control fat removal. Aminophylline acts in the same way when applied topically, but taken orally, it affects mainly the lung tissue, while the fat cells remain unaffected.

The amount of blood passing through the tissues also affects the excretion of fat. Abundant blood flow ensures the rapid removal of more fat secreted by fat cells. Therefore, the better and more abundant the blood supply to the tissues, the sooner the fat will get to where the body needs it most. As for cellulite tissue, on the contrary, it is very poorly supplied with blood.

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