Fat is an Organ

It may be beneficial to consider fat deposits to be an organ of the human body. Fat is the long range fuel storage tank but recent research reveals that the fat system may do even more than just store energy. This makes a lot of sense and one should see fat as a very flexible and useful organ. The state of the fat organ can also be an indicator of overall body health. One should consider an enlarged fat organ with much the same sort of alarm as one would an enlarged liver or heart.

Massive fat build ups indicate that something is wrong with the body. Generally it is the result of an energy imbalance and in rare cases a sign that hormones are not functioning as they should. It should be kept in mind that fat should build up if energy consumption exceeds energy use. The body should have a store of about 60 to 90 days energy and this store should fluctuate. Statistics show that mortality rates for individuals at the higher end of the normal weight BMI scale are better than those at the lower end.

The problem today is that many people are unwilling or incapable of controlling their fat organ. This is not an easy thing to do in a world awash with high-energy food and incorrect official nutritional guidelines. The emphasis has been on controlling saturated fat intake while encouraging carbohydrate intake. Breads are promoted as the healthy base of the food pyramid and people are encouraged to have up to seven servings a day when one small serving a day is more than sufficient. The emphasis is on constant nutrition with six or so meals a day and high intakes of fruit and vegetables. It is rare for most people to end a day with an energy deficit when this condition should be experienced two or more days a week.

Fruit and especially fruit juices are supplying enormous amounts of energy to people everywhere. It has been discovered that fructose, the sugar that is abundant in fruit, is the easiest sugar to convert into fat. This may be because fruit used to be highly seasonal and our ancestors gorged on fruit when it was available storing the surplus for leaner times. Fructose from corn syrup is now increasingly being used for soft drinks and processed foods.

The consumption of high amounts of fructose all day and everyday leads to a steady build up of fat – there is no doubt about it. Fructose is also a double-edged sword in that its consumption appears to not generate a satiation response, doing quite the opposite and increasing hunger.

The solution to controlling the excessive growth of the fat organ is to limit the intake of foods that are easily converted to fat and to regulary operate on an energy deficit. The solution to controlling the intake of fat producing foods is to control appetite.