EXCESS FAT LEADS TO DEMENTIA, STROKES, HEART DISEASE AND CANCER

Being Overweight Is Killing You - Do Something About It

By Karen Waters, Sublime Bliss LLC, CEO

The average American is battling a few extra pounds. We delude ourselves into thinking that the extra 5 or 10 pounds is not that big a deal. That is, until it becomes a crisis. We faithfully promise to start our "diets" on Monday. But before we get around to keeping that promise, the 5 pounds somehow become 20 extra pounds and the 10 pounds turn into 40 extra pounds before we realize what has happened.

Insulin

Personal accountability aside, we live in a world that greatly contributes to our increasing waistlines. Stress is one of the primary factors leading to the obesity epidemic. The stress in our lives is giving us extra pounds accumulating in the mid-section. This is due to overworked adrenals.

Adrenals are the small glands located above our kidneys and they are responsible for releasing cortisol into the system as a reaction to stress. Cortisol stimulates the release of glucose for a boost of energy to help alleviate the immediate emergency when we are under stress.

However, if the blood sugar is not used by the muscles during the crisis, it triggers the release of insulin to encourage the cells to absorb the excess. Whatever is not absorbed gets converted to FAT. Fat that accumulates in you belly is extremely dangerous. Scientists are discovering that the extra fat is so dangerous because is a precursor to a number of diseases that are life threatening.

Abdominal obesity is also characteristic of what is known as 'metabolic syndrome' or pre-diabetes. Again, this extra weight is extremely dangerous because metabolic syndrome places you at increased risk for cancer, stroke, heart disease, diabetes and dementia. Further, insulin is not the only chemical that affects one's weight gain or loss and that has the potential to cause health risks.

Leptin

Leptin is one of the latest hormones we are discovering plays a vital role in weight management. Leptin is a hormone produced by the adipocytes (fat cells) that is key to maintaining a lean body. It modulates appetite by binding to the area of the brain that signals us that we are full. Leptin also enhances the body's ability to access and utilize the fat we've stored up as an energy source.

Studies have found that the fatter you are, the more leptin you will have in your bloodstream. This seems to defy logic, as it would seem that a hormone associated with maintaining a lean body would not be present in greater percentages in the overweight or obese. The answer lies in the fact that being overweight leads to chronically elevated levels of leptin, and prolonged exposure causes the tissues to become 'immune' to the effects of the hormone. In effect, the body becomes resistant to leptin and loses the capacity to respond.

Insulin and Leptin Resistance

Leptin resistance and insulin resistance have a lot of the same characteristics. Both insulin and leptin resistance are chronic inflammatory conditions that contribute directly to progressive weight gain, the inability to lose weight, and continuing to regain previously lost weight. While none of us want to look in the mirror at the extra pounds, insulin and leptin resistance have more dire consequences, as they both place you at increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke and dementia.

How to prevent leptin resistance

If you are overweight, you're almost certainly suffering from some degree of leptin resistance. Lifestyle choices are an excellent method to control both insulin and leptin. Avoiding pro-inflammatory high glycemic load foods, avoiding processed foods, supplementing your diet with anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids and engaging in regular physical exercise are but a few of the methods available to prevent leptin resistance and maintain a healthy body weight.

Think Sublime Thoughts!

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Sublime Bliss is an anti-aging company that offers nutrition counseling, weight loss management and fitness training. Sublime Bliss also features a line of natural and organic anti-aging skincare products. Sublime Bliss' staff has extensive experience helping people manage the complications associated with being overweight. For additional information on the news that is the subject of this article, and help with battling the chronic inflammatory conditions that keep you fat, contact Karen Waters or visit www.SublimeBliss.com.