Where Does The Fat Go?

In a perfect world, fat cells comprise the bulk of lipid storage—exactly where it’s supposed to go. However, if you consistently overeat, fat will be stored in places it doesn’t belong, such as the liver and muscles, which can cause disease, says Philip E. Scherer, professor of cell biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.
Are fat cells simply a storage compartment for our gluttonous behavior? No. Fat cells are the most important cells in the body. "In fact, if we didn’t have fat cells, we would probably be extinct," says Roger H. Unger, a diabetes researcher at the University of Texas.
"Fat is a major endocrine that regulate varied body processes like insulin sensitivity, thyroid and immune function, clotting, blood pressure, appetite and satiety and many others," says Evan Rosen, professor of endocrinology at Harvard Medical School.
While all fat is essentially the same, location makes all the difference. Subcutaneous fat is below the skin and gives bodies a "pear" shape. Intra-abdominal fat is behind the stomach muscles and around the organs, giving bodies an "apple" shape. Most women store their fat subcutaneously in the breasts, hips, buttocks and thighs. Most men store fat in the abdomen, lower back, chest and nape of the neck.
Intra-abdominal fat is considered dangerous. "All the potential health risks—including diabetes, hypertension and heart disease—are related to intra-abdominal fat," says David Herbert, director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. Sucking out the "bad" fat with liposuction—doesn’t improve health, research shows.
Are we born with a fixed number of fat cells, and that’s all we’ll ever have? According to Samuel Klein, professor of medicine and nutrition at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the most widely accepted theory is that fat cells grow in sizes (up to about 1 microgram) and then, at some point, begin to recruit other cells to be converted to fat. Fat also starts to accumulate in organs and other tissues. According to Klein, healthy individuals have about 40 billion fat cells, while the very obese have 100 billion or more.
Can you ever get rid of fat cells once you have them? Yes. You can shrink fat cells by losing weight, and fat cells die off once they’re not needed as storage depots, although scientists are unsure how long that takes, says Christopher B. Newgard, professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at Duke University Medical Center. However, it’s much easier to add fat cells than to get rid of them, says Klein.
Are you at a disadvantage if you have more fat cells than someone else? Although it hasn’t been proved scientifically, diabetes researcher Unger says it is plausible that once you lose weight and have "empty" fat cells sitting around, they’re just waiting to be filled up. So those additional fat cells you created could be what’s increasing your appetite when you’re trying to lose weight.
Are our bodies programmed to preserve body fat? Long before we had supermarkets and easy access to highly palatable food, we were hunters and gatherers. Because food availability was unpredictable, the body had to be prepared for "feast and famine."
When we go on a diet, the body’s ancient survival mechanisms kick in, refusing to use up valuable stored fat, making it difficult to burn calories by slowing the metabolism and decreasing energy levels. The body doesn’t know if it’s being starved voluntarily (to lose weight) or involuntarily (because there’s no food).
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