We spend a lot of our time and money on fighting fat, but Beverley hadgraft discovers it's not all bad.
We only have to hear the word 'fat' and it conjures up images of inert blobs that contribute to a range of problems from heart disease to high blood pressure.
Fat is bad, right? Apparently, it's a lot more complicated than that. We've spoken to four of Australia's top scientists: Professor Lesley Campbell group leader, Diabetes and Obesity Clinical Studies at the Garvan Institute; Professor Garry Egger, director of the Centre for Health Promotion and Research; Professor Susan Davies, chair of Women's Health at Monash University; and Garvan weight-loss specialist Associate Professor Amanda Sainsbury-Salis.
We've also trawled through some of the world's most extensive research. As a result, here are some fat facts that may surprise you. As Egger says: "The more you know, the more you know you don't know!"
Lean people may carry ectopic fat
Some people are genetically prone to staying lean, but are not internally healthy because of a lack of exercise and poor diet. There are figures that show about 25 percent of lean people are unhealthy to the extent you would expect them to be obese, says Egger. This is because they get a spill over of fat internally before they get large.
"We have now coined a term for this. So we have NOMOI which is Not
Obese but Metabolically Obese Individual and OMNI which is Obese but Metabolically Normal Individual."
The worst place to carry fat is your liver
About two-thirds of the obese population have a fatty liver, says Egger, but non-obese people suffer from it, too. It affects about one in every 10 people in the Western world. However, in most cases, there are no symptoms other than mild abdominal discomfort, and the only way you'd know youhave a fatty liver is with a liver function blood test.
Fatty liver can lead to cardiovascular problems and even cirrhosis, which eventually causes liver failure. In most cases, it is easy to treat fatty liver by eating a healthy diet, reducing saturated fats and alcohol, and doing regular exercise.
Thigh and hip fat is generally good fat
Davis has taken samples of abdominal fat and bottom fat and discovered differences in the metabolism in the two sites. Belly fat is for short-term storage. It's easily accessible energy, which is why it's the first to go when you exercise. Lower body fat is for longer term storage, to see a woman through pregnancy.
"It's the same fat but it seems that what it does varies between sites," explains Davies. "People who have lots of lower body fat don't carry the same cardiovascular risks as those who carry a lot of fat around their belly."
In fact, one Oxford study found that as long as you don't put on too much weight, being pear-shaped can actively protect against heart disease. Sainsbury-Salis adds that women who have big hips and thighs often have more muscle as well, which is good for a higher metabolism and strength.
For the full story, see the February issue of Good Health. Subscribe to 12 issues of GoodHealth for only $59.95 and receive an Invisible Zinc Pack, valued at $34.90.
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