Well, your body doesn�t think so. In fact, weight loss may hinge on the pounds you�ve been trying to shed, says Amanda Ursell
Mia Tyler, Liv�s half-sister is a generous size 18 model. She believes beauty isn�t about being a size 8, and she�s right � just think of Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe. However, since the recent discovery that fat cells are active, �thinking� cells, the real question the more voluptuous among us would like answered is this: is fat really bad for you?
It is hard to imagine, but your fat cells � the ones that appear to be loitering lazily on your hips, bottom and tummy � are anything but passive. At this very moment, they are busy barking orders at your brain, other organs and tissues, telling you that you need to eat, and how many calories to burn. New research has revealed that far from being an inert lump of lard, a fat cell is more like a hyperactive sergeant major, releasing a maelstrom of instructions in dozens, or possibly hundreds, of substances such as hormones.
All this means that we need to revise the popular notion of fat stores being the all-round bad boys. Increasing knowledge of their dynamic metabolic effects could lead to novel ways of tackling obesity by encouraging fat cells to work in our favour.
Dr Susan Jebb of the Medical Research Council, one of the UK�s leading experts in obesity, comments: �By discovering exactly which chemicals fat cells are secreting into our blood, and what they are �saying� to other organs, it may be possible to develop treatments that target an individual�s fat cells. It could become possible, for example, to boost levels of secretions that dampen down hunger signals.�
In so doing, such treatments would allow people painlessly to reduce the amount they consume. Scientists came close to achieving just such an intervention with the hormone leptin, the first secretion from fat cells to be isolated. Among other things, leptin has been shown to tell the brain how much fat is in the body, and to regulate food intake accordingly. It has not yet fulfilled scientists� hopes of becoming a new anti-obesity treatment, but it is thought to be only a matter of time before the right secretions are found.
Drugs companies are working themselves into a research and development frenzy over the prospect of being the first to hit such a jackpot, which would yield billions of pounds in profits. When the right secretions are found, current slimming pills, which work by blocking fat absorption, will start to look positively Stone Age. According to early studies, one promising secretion, a hormone called adiponectin, appears to help the body burn calories more efficiently and reduce appetite.
Such pharmaceuticals may still be a few years away, but scientists are learning lessons. �It has helped us to appreciate that our fat cells are not the enemy,� Jebb says. �In fact, they are trying really hard to regulate our body weight.�
In the past, the regulatory role of fat cells worked well. Spiralling obesity levels, however, are causing the kind of problems encountered by any regulatory system when it is pushed too far. When we get cold, for example, our temperature-regulation system tells us to put on more clothes; if we get too cold, however, there comes a point when this system breaks down and hypothermia sets in.
So it is with the fat cells that try to regulate our weight. However much they tell our brains when we are hungry, and how much to eat, the types of refined foods and drinks that we have become accustomed to consuming � fast food, cakes, biscuits, fizzy drinks and crisps � set off their own reactions in our bodies. These include raising blood sugar levels and stimulating excessive insulin production. This makes us feel like snacking, and overwhelms the voice of our fat cells.
Such knowledge helps us to understand why it is so important to dump the junk. Eating nourishing meals of whole-grain foods, lean meat and fish, with lots of fruit and vegetables, will help us to maintain a steady and stable blood biochemistry.