Day 8: Where Do Fat Cells Come From?

Over the course of our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge our Daily Recap videos  will be where I post the notes I have written for the talks I do in the FaceBook Group each night.  Hopefully this will make what we are talking about easier to follow for everyone that wants to join us in the challenge.  You can see each of the 28 Day Challenge recap posts here.  Please subscribe to the YouTube channel to never miss an video.

Where do fat cells come from, how are they filled and how do you empty them.  These are the big questions science is trying to answer.  One thing we are pretty sure of is that the number of fat cells you have is determined at birth which is a good thing.  Your fat acts as a cushion for your internal organs during birth and keeps you warm so you aren’t at the mercy of the elements.   For most of human history, fat was a great thing and the more you had the better your survival chances.  It’s only in the last 50 years or so that obesity has become the epidemic it is.

The number of fat cells is determined by 4 factors

1. Genetics – There is obviously a genetic factor in obesity but genes don’t change fast enough to explain the obesity epidemic that has happened in the last 50 years.
2. Epigenetics – These are changes around the genes but not to the genes themselves.  Epigenetic factors can suppress healthy gene function and can be also be passed on from parents to child.
3. Developmental programming – These are factors that affect the baby in the womb.  If the mother is undernourished or develops gestational diabetes, the baby will develop increased insulin sensitivity in order to gain weight as a survival mechanism.  Babies that are born with low birth weights are at increased risk of obesity later in life as the hormones work to pack on the pounds to increase the survival chances.
4. Environmental Toxins – There hasn’t been as much work done in this area but it seems as though there are toxins we can be exposed to in utero that increase the rate of fetal adipose tissue.

So if you have been fat your entire life, there is every reason to believe it wasn’t your fault but there is hope.

So your number of fat cells is determined at birth, how are they filled?  This is the million dollar question.  We’ve all seen reports that blame everything from lack of school recess to FaceBook being blamed for obesity but obesity begins and ends with insulin.  Control your insulin and you control your weight.

There are 3 ways to increase your insulin.

1. Eat a meal, particularly one high in sugar and/or carbohydrates.  This makes your pancreas secrete insulin to deal with the increased blood sugar
2. If you have built up fat around your liver, your pancreas will have to make more insulin than normal to overcome the increased insulin resistance in your liver.
3. Be stressed out.  Stress makes the hormone Cortisol, which makes your liver and muscles more insulin resistant.  It may also work on your brain to make you eat more.

Once a glucose molecule is in the bloodstream, you will either have to burn it through exercise, store it as fat, or pass it out through urine which will eventually destroy your kidneys.

All notes taken from information found in Fat Chance by Dr Lustig, Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes, The Angriest Trainer Podcast and Jimmy Moore’s Podcasts.