What is fat?
We all know what it looks like from the outside but what is fat, how does it get into the body, and where is it stored?. Read on for more information about fat.
Fats come directly from the food we eat, and are broken down in the digestive system by an enzyme called lipase and are then transported in the blood stream. Both muscle and fat cells then absorb the digested fats and either burn the fat through activity, or store the fat for later use.
Why we need fat?
Fat is needed as part of a healthy diet (just not too much of it!). Here are a couple of reasons why.
Fat is found in several places throughout the body. The majority of fat is stored under the skin, and is known as subcutaneous tissue. The thickness of the subcutaneous fat varies from body area to body area. It tends to be thickest at the waist, and is practically non-existent at the eyelids. As well as being a store of energy, fat also acts as a cushion to impacts.
The most important bit - Fat breakdown
Fat is stored so it can be used in times when food is not being eaten, of energy is required during exercise. Unfortunately, energy stored in the fat cells is not the first source of energy the body uses. Glucose supplies are the most readily stored energy in the body and as such are used first. The next source of energy comes from the breaking down of carbohydrates into glucose. The next energy source step is the one that really counts if you want to get rid of your stored fat reserves. Body Fat is broken down by the body into glycerol and fatty acids in the process of lipolysis. The fatty acids can then be broken down directly to get energy, or can be used to make glucose. The breakdown of fat as a last resort is why it can be so difficult to get rid of once it has been put on.
Fats come directly from the food we eat, and are broken down in the digestive system by an enzyme called lipase and are then transported in the blood stream. Both muscle and fat cells then absorb the digested fats and either burn the fat through activity, or store the fat for later use.
Why we need fat?
Fat is needed as part of a healthy diet (just not too much of it!). Here are a couple of reasons why.
- Essential fatty acids have to be obtained from food as the body has no way of producing them internally.
- Certain vitamins are fat soluble, and eating fat is the only way to get these vitamins in to the body.
- Fat contains twice as many calories per gram as either proteins or carbohydrates, which makes fats an excellent source of energy. This is fine as long as that energy is being used up..
Fat is found in several places throughout the body. The majority of fat is stored under the skin, and is known as subcutaneous tissue. The thickness of the subcutaneous fat varies from body area to body area. It tends to be thickest at the waist, and is practically non-existent at the eyelids. As well as being a store of energy, fat also acts as a cushion to impacts.
The most important bit - Fat breakdown
Fat is stored so it can be used in times when food is not being eaten, of energy is required during exercise. Unfortunately, energy stored in the fat cells is not the first source of energy the body uses. Glucose supplies are the most readily stored energy in the body and as such are used first. The next source of energy comes from the breaking down of carbohydrates into glucose. The next energy source step is the one that really counts if you want to get rid of your stored fat reserves. Body Fat is broken down by the body into glycerol and fatty acids in the process of lipolysis. The fatty acids can then be broken down directly to get energy, or can be used to make glucose. The breakdown of fat as a last resort is why it can be so difficult to get rid of once it has been put on.
Weight loss News
Ten million Thais risk health problems from being overweight
BANGKOK (AFP) - Up to 10 million Thais could face health problems from being overweight, a deputy health minister warned. "There are about 13.0 percent of the population, or 10 million people,...
Starving won't make people live longer
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Starving - or caloric restriction - may make worms and mice live up to 50 percent longer but it will not help humans live super-long lives, two biologists argue. They said Sund...
Robotic Weight-loss Surgery Appears Safe
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Keyhole or "laparoscopic" surgery for obesity can be safely performed with a completely robotic approach, new research indicates. Whether this represents a real s...