What is Body Fat and What are the Causes of Body Fat?
Introduction
Is it Really Important for all of us to know about Body Fat?
The answer to the question will help you a lot to deal with the body fat issue effectively.
Our genes play a big role in our body shape. But we still do a lot of things to stop a bulging waist and other health risks that affect the body. There are two types of fats in the body thatare essential and non-essential fats or storage fat. Essential fat is useful in the body to perform the normal physiological functions. This fat is found in the brain, spinal cord, bone marrow, muscles, internal organs, and cells membranes. The storage fat is termed as the fat that is accumulated underneath the skin. This fat is responsible for the gaining of weight which then becomes very difficult to shed.
The essential fat level is approx. 3% of the total body weight for men and 12% of total body weight for women. Women require high essential body fat because of the gender-specific fat deposits in the breast tissue and the area that surrounds the uterus.
Our bodies have fat deposition under the skin and there is another layer of fat which lies deep within the cavity of the belly called the visceral fat. This fat surrounds the vital organs of the body like the liver, stomach, and intestines. It is so close to the liver that sometimes it may turn into a cholesterol which then goes through the bloodstream and sticks to the arterial wall, there by arteries become hard and narrow and this condition is termed as atherosclerosis.
Body fat is found in the adipose tissue and it is a form of connective tissue which is composed of fat cells and adipocytes that are separated by the white fibrous protein and elastic fibers.
Accumulation of Fat in the Body is done in two ways:
- Hypertrophy – Fills the existing adipocytes which cause an increase in the size.
- Hyperplasia – This lead to the formation of new fat cells.
These fact cells normally increase in the size and number from the birth up to the maturity. But some of the researchers have stated that the size and number of fat cells increase at any age.
Fats can be stored in the body in the form of triglycerides and these are usually made up of free fatty acid molecules. These molecules are held together by the molecules of glycerol. Most of the times this fat is stored in the adipocytes. During exercise, the triglycerides present in the muscles, fats, and blood can be broken down and used as a fuel by the muscles.
What are the Causes of Body Fat?
Various reasons result in the deposition off at tissues in the body.
Age
Just like genes, age also plays an important role in making the person fat. When the person gets older the fat tissues start accumulating in the body and at this stage, the person becomes less active which means that the person burns fewer calories than the calories he or she is gaining.
Emotional Factors
Some of the people tend to eat more food when they are happy, stressed or angry. At this time the person eats more and deposits even more calories in the body. This makes the person fat or overweight.
Genetic Factors
Genetics plays an important role which decides the bodyweight of a person. It mostly found in the family history and the person becomes obese if his/her parents are suffering from obesity. In most of the cases, it is seen that the children usually adopt the improper eating habits of their parents. So if their parents are obese then they also have the chances of the accumulation of fat tissues in their body.
Improper Lifestyle
One of the main reason for fat accumulation is the less physical activities which result in the deposition of fat in the body that leads to obesity or makes the person fat. The body is unable to burn the excess calorie that he or she is taking through the diet.
In this modern lifestyle, most of the people are spending their time watching TV or doing other leisurely activities. The technology becomes so advanced that it makes the work easier and human beings become inactive which makes them fatty and in the long run, it makes them obese.
Medications
Intake of an overdose of various medicines like antidepressants, corticosteroids and anti-epileptic makes the person fat or increases their body weight, which is the main reason for the deposition of fat in the body. This may also result in various side effects.
Energy Imbalance
When there is no proper balance between the energy IN and Out from the body, this results in the accumulation of fat tissues in the body. Energy IN is the number of calories we get from the food and drink we consume and energy OUT is the amount of energy our body is using in doing proper digestion, breathing process, and other physical activities in the body. It is necessary to maintain a proper balance between these two energies to maintain the body’s health, otherwise, it will lead to the deposition of fat in the various body parts and keeps the body unhealthy. It may lead to various diseases.
Pregnancy
During pregnancy, women tend to eat more and gain weight to meet the body’s demand for her children growth. After delivery for some mothers, it becomes difficult for them to shed that weight which makes them obese.
Improper Sleeping Habits
Improper sleep makes a person fat or obese. Some of the researchers have stated that proper sleeping habits balance the hormones. When a person has improper sleeping habits or a person does not get enough sleep, the level of ghrelin hormone increases which makes the person feel hungry and the person eats more food. This also affects the insulin level in the body.
