Excess Body Fat: Catalyst for Chronic Diseases

Obesity crisis is a national and global emergency, contributing to heart attacks.

- DR P.S. VENKATESH RAO

Excess body fat is a ticking health time bomb and not just a body image problem. The obesity crisis is a national and global emergency, contributing to heart attacks and premature death, increased health costs, decreased productivity and fertility, in an unhealthy population, and a depressed economy.

BODY FAT: It functions as an energy store, insulation against cold, a cushion around vital organs, and produces certain hormones and signaling molecules (ligands). Leptin, a hormone secreted by fat cells, signals the brain to suppress hunger and increase calorie (energy) expenditure. Adiponectin, another hormone secreted by fat cells, helps regulate blood sugar levels. Fat cells convert precursors of sex hormones (Estrogen, Testosterone) into active forms that influence body fat distribution, and contribute to male hormone (Testosterone) production in women. Fat cells also release signaling molecules that decrease insulin sensitivity and increase inflammation. Fat is categorized by location as subcutaneous fat (under the skin) and visceral fat (around the internal organs). Subcutaneous fat provides insulation, visceral fat cushions the organs, and both store and release energy. Visceral fat contributes more to health risks. Functionally, most of the body fat is white fat. Brown (due to higher iron content) fat is present in infancy and diminishes with age, and is located primarily in the upper back. It keeps the body warm by continuously releasing energy in cold conditions (non-shivering thermogenesis), protects infants from hypothermia, and is linked to better health.