
This week I’m talking about something called Central Adiposity, or the more fancy term being “Belly Fat”.
Why is this important?
Well, just like high blood pressure, obesity has an inflammatory component which means it can interfere with the immune response and vice versa.
In a review published in the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (2012), researchers stated:
Obesity, like other states of malnutrition, is known to impair the immune function, altering leukocyte counts as well as cell-mediated immune responses. In addition, evidence has arisen that an altered immune function contributes to the pathogenesis of obesity.
When we’re carrying extra weight, especially around the middle, it shifts our biology out of balance because fat cells release pro-inflammatory proteins called cytokines.
In other words, fat cells are a living breathing thing. They’re not stagnant that just sit there and do nothing!
They’re actually endocrine cells because of their ability to secrete hormones and influence cells in other parts of the body, that in many cases, can lead to further weight gain.
Sorry, not exactly the rosiest of scenarios but it’s important that I tell it as it is!