fats

When you hear the words "e;body fat,"e; the first thing that probably comes to mind is that little bulge that starts to pop up over your jeans after a holiday overindulgence, or maybe you're thinking about that fat accumulating on your back. Many people have a complex love-hate relationship with the fat they carry, and in most cases, the hate wins out. This attitude is clearly reinforced by the media. You can't open a magazine without encountering at least one article about dieting, weight loss, or supplements designed to make us thinner with minimal effort, of course. We're bombarded with success stories and professional models gazing seductively at us from the pages of magazines. What is fat, actually, and what does it do? Is it really as bad as everyone claims? Until recently, we knew less about our own fat than about any other organ in our body. Yes, fat is an organ, just like our heart and lungs!How does body fat work? And why do some people have a lot of it while others have very little? Are hormonal imbalances involved? Is excess fat equally harmful to everyone? Why do diets often fail or only produce temporary results? How can you ensure you maintain a healthy weight over time? Should you avoid stress, stand in the cold to stimulate fat burning, and utilize other smart strategies? How do your sleep-wake cycle, the hormones that regulate your appetite, and medications affect your fat mass?We all know that unhealthy diet and lack of exercise play a major role in the obesity epidemic, but in recent years, many other factors have also emerged, revealing a whole world of hidden contributors to weight gain!It's important to gain this knowledge so you can use it effectively in your own life to reduce (or increase) your fat mass, make it healthier, or prevent it from unintentionally becoming larger. We also decided to share the stories of a few patients with very rare disorders related to their body fat, who made a significant impression on us.