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ALL YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Whether you’ve struggled with weight issues all your life or never again a second thought to dieting, chances are you’ll reach an age when you start to put on weight around your waist. We asked Dr Louise Hutley,obesity researcher and head of the University OF Queensland’s adipose tissue biology group, to answer some questions about weight gain.

Does fat actually serve a purpose?
In previous eara fat was linked to survival because it is able to store excess energy from food for use later when there may not be anything to eat.
While energy storage is no longer relevant in that way, fat is important because it produces hormones that influence the function of other organs.
Having too much fat can reduce your body’s ability to metabolise sugar and also can increase your chances of having reproductive problems.
Too little fat can lead to loss of menstrual periods and problem with fertility.
In a rare condition called lipodystrophy, individuals appear quite thin with on fat under the skin but have fat hidden inside the belly, and they have an increased risk for raised cholesterol, fatty liver, and type 2 diabetes.

Is abdominal fat really dangerous?
Overweight or obesity,particularly central obesity, is associated with many serious medical conditions.You’re more likely to have too much fat in your blood which can lead to fatty liver,insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes,infertility and cardiovascular disease.It has also been linked to a number of cancers.

Why do women change shape as they get older?
Women are generally ‘pear shape’ storing fat around the hips and thighs until after menopause when they tend to become more ‘apple shaped’. Laying down fat around the middle.The change in fat distribution is brought about by the shift in hormonal make-up at menopause, bringing women more in line with men in terms of fat-related health risks for conditions such as heart disease.The fall in oesstrogen levels appears to be directly associated with an increase in central abdominal fat stores as well as other menopausal symptoms.While we all tend to put on between one and two kilos a year as we get older, a dramatic increase in body fat,especially abdominal fat, is never a good thing.A waist measurement of below 94 cm for men and 80 cm for women is considered healthy

Why is it hard to lose tummy fat?
When you cut kilojoule intake and increasephysical activity you are most likely to lose weight first from where you gained it last.
So if you last put on weight around your arms or face, that’s where you’ll probably notice a difference first.Men generally find it easier to lose intra-abdominal fat but a woman’s pot belly may not be that type of fat.Instead,it could be subcutaneous fat (just under the skin rather than deep within the abdomen around the vital organs),which may be easier to shoft with diet and exercise.However,physical activity has proven to be effective at reducing fat inside the belly also ,so exercise is good for both type of fat.

Is it possible to get rid of the ‘menopot’ belly?
Many women notice a bit more tummy fat aftermenopause but it’s not necessarily there forever.Hormone replacement therapy (HRT),which restores oestrogen,may make a difference but it is not something you’d take simply because you feel bloated.Increaseing physical activity and reducing kilojoule intake is the best approach.Targeted exercises such as abdominal crunches can increase muscle tone and improve the shape of your tummy,but it won’t rid you of abdominal fat.Cardio worhouts,anything that gets your heart rate up (fast walking,running,biking) is the best thing to burn fat.

Do fat cells multiply?
Yes. Up until a few years ago it was thought the number of fat cells you had soon after birth was all you’d ever have and that they filled up and emptied out as you gained or lost weight.We now know that when’s too much food in the body, fat cells get bigger and at some point, for reasons yet to be determined, stem cells in the fat issue turn into additional mature fat cells themselves.We are now looking at ways to inhibit these stem cells and stop new fat cells forming.

Can you get rid of fat cells altogether?
A natural process called apoptosis,which causes cells in the body to die off,also applies to fat cells.Obesity research is looking at whether we can trigger apoptosis in fat tissue.There’s a huge effort being made to develop these novel therapies because of the rise in obesity.Even 10 per cent weight reduction in someone who is overweight or obese can have a marked positive effect on their health.