Healthy Fat vs. Fat Storage: What's Really Needed and What's in the Way
Are you confused about fat? Wishing it away or watching it build? There is a delicate balance in holistic health between too much and too little fat. Too little fat impacts the eyes, nervous system, and the body’s ability to reduce inflammation. Too much fat storage interferes with levels of cortisol, glycogen and negatively impacts sleep and inflammatory processes.
Read on, as this is a bold new world that challenges the calories in/calories out world and the understanding of why we need fat…
What are the foundations of fat storage?
There are many contributing factors to fat storage, and some of them are honestly trying to help you! Naturally, some are the result of long-term improper nutritional habits for your individual needs. Let’s sort this out…
The total fat in a person’s body is dependent upon both the amount of adipose tissue (which is typically determined by adolescence) as well as the number of fat cells. Adipose tissue is found in breasts, under the skin (subcutaneous), surrounding our vital organs and in bone marrow. Much of this tissue has protective quality, as well as the function of delivering energy to organs. The lion’s share of subcutaneous adipose tissue is located in the abdomen, hips and thighs. It is the accumulation of excess numbers of fat cells that creates the unhealthy aspects of fat (such as inflammation, blood sugar dysregulation, heart disease, etc) So, how does this happen?
Stress/excess cortisol
Poor sleep
Low steroidal hormone activity
Inadequate exercise
Excess glycogen storage
Leptin resistance, often accompanied by hypothyroidism
Let’s talk about those last 2 points…
Perhaps one of the most detrimental “diet dogma” preachings of this century is that of “grazing”. We’re told the practice regulates blood sugar and weight and prevents digestive overload. The truth of the matter is that grazing/eating small frequent meals does not regulate blood sugar at all, nor does it control weight. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Every time you eat, your body begins a 3-hour process of digestion. During that period, the glucose-insulin response is operating. Constant operation of the response with no rest can contribute to insulin resistance. But, for our purposes here, the concern is fat deposition. During the digestive process, insulin is playing a role in glucose storage. When your cells have taken up all the glucose/energy they need for the time being, insulin signals the liver to begin storing glucose as glycogen. Glycogen is designed to be used after the digestive process has finished and the glucose-insulin response has ceased. It is a clean-burning, non-insulin-dependent source of blood sugar. So, when we’re eating every 2-3 hours, it is never released. This causes a buildup of glycogen stores in the liver, and when those stores are full, lipogenesis (fat production) is stimulated.
What is leptin and its correlation with fat?
Meanwhile, as fat cell production is ramping up, a hormone called leptin (whose role is to reduce appetite and initiate fat burning) begins to be over-produced as well. Leptin is produced by adipose cells and enterocytes in the small intestine. (Enterocytes are specialized absorptive endothelial cells and require a healthy glycocalyx, something we’ve discussed previously.) As fat stores increase, more leptin is produced and the risk for resistance to it increases (exactly as excess insulin production can create resistance). According to research, a diet that is high in both fructose and fat is almost assured to produce leptin resistance. Leptin acts directly on the hypothalamus in the brain to reduce hunger and eating behavior. With resistance, its message is not circulated and the hypothalamus responds in kind by reducing metabolism. One of the first impacts of this is the reduction in thyroid activity. As the thyroid slows down, BMI (Body Mass Index) increases and fat burning decreases. The formula for knowing the body mass index is as follows: body weight (kg) / height (m)2. A fairly standard range is between 16 and 24. The point is to use this information as a parameter to identify the condition we’re in. Many times, we think that we are overweight due to an aesthetic issue, but that’s not really the case. Similarly, we may not realize that we could actually be underweight to some degree.
The '“leptin diet” shares a major principle with Metabolic Typing®! That is the understanding that we need around 5 hours between meals and little to no snacking in order to have proper utilization of glycogen. All of the principles of individualized nutrition which are exercised in Metabolic Typing® help to reduce risk factors for excess fat deposition. Other diet dogma preachings such as “plant foods are best”, “low fat is best”, “animal protein is bad for you”, etc etc are contributing to masses of people eating the wrong foods for their particular metabolic requirements. Excess nutrients of any type (including plants) can contribute to fat accumulation. With MT, a person’s individual needs are identified, fine-tuned and put to work in stabilizing metabolism.
Leptin’s role in the body is not just limited to weight and appetite. It is also utilized in the body for cognition, memory, learning and T cell/innate immune system response.
All this being said…..the body needs fat.
Your body depends upon adequate fat for a variety of very important functions. Some of these are:
Hormone production
Vital organ cushioning and energy stores
Regulation of body temperature
Reduction of inflammation
Healthy brain, nervous system and eyes
Toxin storage
Let’s cover this last point - it is a common and crucial one. When toxins accumulate in the body vs. being methylated and removed through the urine and bowels, the body exercises storage options in fat cells, joints, connective tissue and the nervous system, primarily. Thus, excess toxic burdens can stimulate a protective mechanism in the body whereby fat stores increase to protect vital organs. Heavy metals, plastics and organic toxins are all part of this equation. When we are unaware of this buildup of toxins and yet acutely aware of weight gain, we can become distracted from the root cause of the problem. This is one of the reasons that I recommend assessment of toxic burdens at least twice annually. While the body is providing a helpful protection, continued accumulation of fat will not be helpful along many other lines. In other discussions, we’ve entertained the topic of adaptive mechanisms, and this is an example. A normal amount of body fat is needed in a healthy individual to operate as a temporary storage area. With adequate methylation function, toxins will be mobilized and removed on a regular basis.
Normal body fat is involved in reducing inflammation, and this happens as triglycerides are broken down into glycerol and fatty acids. The latter are critical in resolving inflammation.
So, how long does it take to heal a leptin and/or thyroid problem?
This is rather individual, and we must first have a successful assessment of nutritional needs, toxins and pathogens. As these things are discovered and processes begun to recover the body, 8-12 weeks is a good amount of time to begin to restore normal function. Testing blood chemistry, including a comprehensive thyroid panel and serum leptin is advised. Looking at toxins through water assessment, hair analysis, chemical toxicity panels, etc. is vital for success.
And then….there is love and acceptance.
Like all nutritionists, I speak with many people who don’t like their bodies, want to lose weight, have tried everything on the planet. While individual nutrition and biochemistry are always at play in numerous and varied combinations, perhaps the one thing that is shared by all is some form of judgment and comparison of their bodies.. So, what does it take to heal this?
…rejection of cultural standards and comparisons
…awareness of/consciously structuring your core beliefs
…self awareness and respect
…acceptance of your body’s innate wisdom, because even with the best testing/measuring, you cannot ever know the full extent of its complexity and what it needs
…prioritizing energy and vitality way ahead of shape/figure
…continuing a (non-obsessive) journey everyday with looking into the heart of ALL of you - writing, thinking, feeling, making specific requests of your subconscious/dreams, and releasing
At True Nature, the whole of the person, mind and body, is respected and considered. If you would like individual assessment and coaching, please write to me at Julie@truenaturehealthconsulting.com. We provide holistic telehealth services.