Why do we get fat?

Patients often are concerned why they gain weight so easily and have so much difficulty in losing that weight again.  It is important to have a very good understanding why we gain weight so that the changes in lifestyle are understandable when we want to lose weight.

1. Stress

Stress first has central effect (hypothalamus) and then the reaction cascades.  Any type of stress, physical or emotional, results in the immediate secretion of cortisol and adrenalin by the adrenal glands, located on top of the kidneys. Stress can take on any form from psychological pressures to toxins, diseases, depression, anxiety, pain, loneliness, fatigue and even boredom.  Cortisol has well-established effects that produce insulin resistance in both muscle cells and the liver.  Therefore, stress, real or perceived, can affect insulin action and ultimately contribute to insulin resistance and unwanted weight and health problems.  Cortisol will stimulate insulin, which will stimulate your appetite and you eat more and store more fat.  Cortisol can also signal cells to store fat and inhibit the body to burn fat for energy.

2. Bowel ecology or faecal microbiota composition

A high-energy diet (sugar and high GL carbs) can alter the microbiota in the digestive tract and can lead to an increased energy extraction and fat deposition, change hormone secretions, cause leaky GUT and cause metabolic endotoxemia and the results is weight gain.

3. Vitamin D deficiency

A change in faecal microbiota composition can reduce vitamin D absorption, enhance insulin secretion, worsen insulin sensitivity and have a negative effect on balancing blood sugar.  Vitamin D deficiency also can lead to an autoimmune disease of the thyroid, which will enhance weight gain.

4. Insulin resistance

Insulin resistance occurs when the body does not respond properly to insulin (low or high levels).  When this happen blood levels of insulin are elevated while the pancreas secretes even more insulin.  Excessive circulating insulin tends to increase fat storage, cholesterol production, more blood clotting, higher testosterone levels in women (facial hair, body hair, ovarian cysts, infertility), blood pressure (sodium retention) and also damage to blood vessels.

Muscles determine 40% of insulin sensitivity and 70-90% of blood glucose clearance and this makes exercising crucial to the above.  Insulin sensitivity is influenced by glucagons, growth hormone and sex hormones.

Many hormones have an effect on insulin secretion.  Relatively high cortisol levels (because of stress and age), extra oestrogen in HRT and low DHEA levels (because of aging) are contributors to insulin resistance.  Oestrogen (in the HRT combo) suppresses glucagons secretion – and it is glucagon that has the ability to control elevated insulin levels.  Glucagon is thus the fat burner.   What happens now is that insulin levels rises further – the lipid profile worsens and women gain more weight.  During peri-menopause, oestrogen levels fluctuate and that makes women prone to fluid retention.  High insulin levels and high levels of stresshormones can inhibit T4 to be converted to T3 – slows metabolism.

5. Neuro-endocrine obesity

Cushing’s syndrome, hypothyroidism (type 1 & 2), PCOS and Growth hormone deficiency

Causes of Type 2 Hypothyroidism and treatment

Environmental toxins interfere with thyroid metabolism and cause malfunction of the mitochondria.  The mitochondria then cannot send a message to the brain to secrete thyroid hormone.

The fat-soluble toxins accumulate in fat cells.  Because women have more fat cells than men do, it is understandable why more women suffer from hypothyroidism than men do.

Blood tests cannot detect type 2 hypothyroidism.  Your type 2 hypothyroidism patient has normal thyroid blood results.  Patients should be professionally evaluated by questioning and clinical symptoms.  The true results will be seen after intervention with thyroid hormone therapy.

Hypothyroidism (type 1 &2) will start processing the additional hormones if you saturate the tissue with enough hormones.  Once the body starts to function normally, it has the ability to self-correct and one can start reducing the medication.

Vitamin D3, desiccated thyroid and homoeopathic thyroid medication (organotherapy) seem the more effective than just T4 (Eltroxin) hormone replacement.

6. Liver dysfunction

The abuse of the liver leads to: obesity, cardiovascular disease, chronic fatigue, headaches, digestive problems, allergies etc.  If the liver does not function normal, it cannot effectively remove fat globules circulating in the bloodstream and the result is fat storage in buttocks, thighs, arms and abdomen.  Abdominal fat will only go once liver function has been rectified.  Obesity is a protecting mechanism for toxic by-products of lipid metabolism.

7. Salt

Salt can increase blood pressure and in turn more cortisol will be secreted witch will stimulate your insulin and appetite.

8. Resistin

Excess weight – that fat around the waist has an endocrine function (resistin) and fuels insulin resistance.

9. Genes

50% Risk

10. Drug-induced weight gain

Anti-psychotics, anti-epileptics, anti-diabetic medicines and hormones.

11. Ageing

Most hormone secretions drop as we age – that is the main reason behind ageing.  Your metabolism slows down by 5% each decade after the age of 30- because of hormones dropping.

12. Xenoestrogens

Xenoestrogens like herbicides and pesticides can change hormonal activity, which can boost body fat.

13. Smoking

Glucose tolerance and insulin testing was completed on smokers and non-smoker alike and it was discovered that the smokers were more insulin resistant than the non-smokers were.  Why this occurs is not clear, but it is apparent that smoking is associated with a decrease in insulin sensitivity and delayed glucose disposal and lower oxygen levels with smokers.

14. Inactivity

An increase in physical activity is associated with improved insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal into the cells. Therefore, if you exercise, the activity of insulin seems to be enhanced and if you do not insulin sensitivity appears to deteriorate.

15. Post-pregnancy weight gain

After birth progesterone levels drop and progesterone can increase metabolism and allows you to burn more kilojoules.  Statistically women will keep 2.5kg of pregnancy weight and will add on after each child.  There is a 7% increased risk of obesity after each child.

16. Ph – factor and oxygen connection

Stress, pollution, poor eating habits, injury and repeated exposure to chemicals in our food and environment make our bodies more acidic.  An acidic blood pH is not beneficial for health.  The acidic blood pH has been linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, attention deficit disorder, depression etc. To restore the acid/alkaline balance the cells require more oxygen.  Fat is burn if more oxygen is available and stead of sugar.  The fat component is then converted into water and it will hydrate the cells and wash away the excess acid.  The more oxygen you breathe, the more food will be oxidized, the more efficiently you burn calories and the less food will be stored as fat.  Oxygen is the most important fuel for metabolism and energy production.  If you do not breathe properly, your metabolism slows down.  In addition, neutral blood pH enhances insulin sensitivity.

17. Psychological factors

Eating disorders: Bulimia nervosa.  Emotional eating: eating when upset, hopeless, angry, bad self-image and being board etc.

Depression: people tend to eat more and exercise less.

18. Social factors

Irregular eating habits, overeating at night especially if little or no food is consumed during day; unconscious eating – eating a packet of chips in front of TV; eating on the run; meals out (takeaways and restaurants); alcohol consumption and the reducing of self-control; socioeconomic factors – can afford to eat much better than before; poor lifestyle habits as a child; know when you are hungry and know when you had enough; eat at slow pace; no or little will power.

19. Less sleep

People sleep less hours at night and that can stimulate appetite.

20. Older birth mothers

Children born from older mothers are more prone to excess weight than their younger counterparts are.

21. Assortative mating

A large number of heavy people tend to mate with each other and can produce heavy children.

22. Socio-economic and ethnic factors

Obesity is more prevalent in lower socio-economic groups.  Ethnicity is also a factor where African men prefer overweight women.  There is also a perception that overweight women are HIV negative.

23. Chlorine & Fluoride

Chlorine and Fluoride block iodine receptors in the Thyroid gland resulting in reduced iodine-containing hormone production and finally in Hypothyroidism.

24. Dehydration

Dehydration can slow the metabolism up to 3%.

25. Food Intolerance / Food Allergy

The main reason for this is a high carbohydrate and sugar diet that causes an imbalance in the ecology of the digestive system that eventually lead to a Vit D deficiency and then to food intolerances.

26. Alcohol use and abuse

Alcohol is a toxin, slows metabolism, lowers blood sugar, because water retention and can enhance weight gain.

If you are not going to lose weight, you will become chronically ill at some point in time.  Your health is priceless and the rest you can buy with visa.  Treasure your health whilst you have it and you can make improvements.  Lifestyle Clinic offers natural solutions for those who want to lose weight and improve their health.  Are you ready to move into the zone of optimal health?

Obesity is associated with at least 30 medical conditions – like:- diabetes, cancers, arthritis, hypertension and gallstones.A mere loss of 10% of bodyweight will reduce diseases associated with obesity with 50%.  If you are overweight, enrol online for my for free weight loss programmes.   If you don’t lose weight on those programmes, you need to consult with your integrative healthcare professional.