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How Does Excess Fat Affect the Body?
By: Scottsdale Weight Loss Center
Published: January 7, 2021
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Fat can slow us down and change the ways our bodies look, but it can also affect us on a chemical level. While we often think of fat as useless cushioning, it also influences the body’s function. As we develop more fat, many health problems can occur.
Medical obesity specialist Dr. Robert Ziltzer says, “Excess body fat sets off a whole cascade of medical conditions like inflammation of the arteries and throughout the body.”
These detrimental effects of excess fat explain why weight loss can improve your health and protect you from serious conditions.
How Does Excess Fat Affect the Body?
Inflammation
Fat helps us save extra energy. When we take in more calories than we use, our bodies convert this energy and store it in fat cells. But as our fat cells continue to grow and multiply, they begin polluting the body and cause issues.
Medicine obesity specialist Dr. Craig Primack says that “…as fat cells get stretched out, they send signals to the rest of the body that causes an inflammatory reaction.”
Think of each fat cell as a balloon. When there isn’t much air in the balloon, it isn’t stressed or likely to pop. When there’s too much air or water, the balloon stretches and may start to leak. Like the balloon, fat cells become strained as they grow larger. They can secret chemicals that cause inflammation and a variety of health problems.
Increased Estrogen Levels
Inflammation contributes to hypertension and other obesity-related diseases. But fat cells can also lead to increased estrogen production in the body and, according to Dr. Primack, is why obesity is linked to estrogen-sensitive cancers like breast cancer and uterine cancer.
“Having excess fat is almost like taking a hormone pill,” Dr. Primack says.
Increased Hunger
Fat’s influence on our hormones can even cause hunger. Our fat store’s leptin, a hormone that tells our brain we’re full. When we lose weight, our bodies produce less leptin. This makes us hungrier as our bodies attempt to regain the energy lost by burning fat.
“When we use medications as part of a weight loss program, we’re trying to suppress the drive from those hormones that increase hunger,” Dr. Primack says.
Burning Fat for Better Health
Eating a low-calorie, high-protein diet will help your body begin burning fat for fuel. As a result, the fat cells reduce in size and return to normal function. Levels of inflammatory chemicals reduce, hunger is less intense, and the risk of developing obesity-related illnesses decreases. This is one reason why losing weight can have such a positive influence on your health and life.
Read our FREE e-book Chasing Diets and learn about the weight loss program that works.
Nick
Nick's Story
"I wish I would have come here first. We spend all our time reacting to the next great weight loss tip or program. It might work for a while, but does not last and we end up yo-yoing from one fad to the next – as we gain more weight." Read More
Gina
Lost 44.5 lbs
"I had no trouble adhering to the meals and they really helped catapult my progress! The classes were so beneficial to me because they helped change my thinking about how I viewed health, nutrition, and fitness.
I will always have my relationship with Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. They truly helped me change my life forever." Read More
Lauren
Lost 60 lbs
"Dr. Ziltzer and everyone who I have come in contact with at the Scottsdale Weight Loss office have been so encouraging and I look forward to seeing them each week. It is now a year and 2 months later since I started. I am down 60 lbs., which is the average amount a 9-year-old weighs, it is crazy to think I lost a whole person! I feel amazing, I hit my goal weight in November 2021 just before Thanksgiving. Nothing on my body hurts anymore..." Read More
Chuck
Lost 66 lbs
"The best thing I did was call the Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. I have a lot more energy, I'm not hungry, and it feels great.
You can take it from me that this is a program that produces results. The staff is always positive, supportive, and never judgmental.
Your visits always result in positive reinforcement, no matter if you had a good week or a bad week." Read More
Emily
Lost 101 lbs
"Here I am at the lowest I have been since high school weighing in at 155lbs. I have lost 101 lbs, BMI of 39 when I started, to 21.6, and of course at body fat % of 47.1 to 26.5%. I told myself by my 30th birthday I wanted to be confident in the way I look and I owe it all to SWLC. The entire staff is so welcoming and they are rooting for you just as much as you are rooting for yourself...." Read More
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Meet Our Team
Robert Ziltzer, MD, FACP, FAAP, FOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Diana Bone, FNP-C
Specializing in Obesity Medicine
Craig Primack, MD, FACP, FAAP, MFOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Kristen Ash, FNP-C, FNP-BC
Nurse Practitioner
Alicia Earley, FNP-C
Family Nurse Practitioner
