Are Fat Cells Forever?

Are Fat Cells Forever?

Can we ever get rid of them? Probably not, at least until old age. But we should not focus on the amount of fat cells we have.

Size Vs Quantity

Far more critical than our number of fat cells is their size. Shrinking fat cells through a healthy whole-foods diet and regular exercise, as the Pritikin Program recommends, means we’re less likely to develop insulin resistance.

That’s important because insulin resistance is a big problem. Normally, insulin acts as a “door” that allows blood sugar to enter cells. But if you have insulin resistance, the doors are shut. Sugar can’t enter, so it builds up in the blood, leading to chronically high blood sugar levels and type 2 diabetes.

Reversing Insulin Resistance

“With a healthy lifestyle like Pritikin, not only can you prevent insulin resistance, you can largely reverse it and the other metabolic abnormalities associated with it, such as hypertension and bad cholesterol levels. It’s a win-win because you’re staving off diabetes as well as the killers closely linked with diabetes – heart attacks and strokes.

Healthy Pritikin-style living also reverses the accumulation of fat in the liver, muscles, and other tissues,” points out Kimberly Gomer, Director of Nutrition at the Pritikin Longevity Center.

Reducing Medications

“There’s more good news. Removing excess fat with a healthy lifestyle can reduce or even eliminate the need for many medications, particularly pills for diabetes and other cardiovascular concerns like high blood pressure.”

But even if you have type 2 diabetes, “it is never too late to address insulin resistance and try to mitigate or eliminate it,” points out Gomer.

“If you still require oral medications, or even insulin, it will typically be a lot less. It will likely be a much simpler drug regimen. And quality of life will certainly improve, and possibly quantity as well.”

Liposuction

It is also important to recognize that quick fixes for removing fat cells, like liposuction, have limited success, at best.

Yes, after decades of chowing down cheeseburgers, we may have accumulated more fat cells than we’d care to imagine (for some, it’s billions of fat cells). “But reducing our number of fat cells through procedures like liposuction are not likely to slim us down for the long term. Nor will they necessarily promote good metabolic health,” says Gomer.

Ultimately, what’s most critical for unhealthy fat cells is a healthy lifestyle – a simple, day-to-day commitment to eating well and staying physically active.

Healthy Attitude

We also strongly encourage a healthy attitude about our bodies.

We’ve got to be realistic. How many of us at age 50 or older can shed enough weight to squeeze back into our wedding dresses or tuxedos? For most of us, it’s just not going to happen, but that’s okay. We may never be at our high school weight again, but we can achieve a leaner, much healthier body.

We can look in the mirror and realize, wow, we’re looking pretty darn good for our age. Most importantly, we’re feeling good. That’s what healthy food and fitness delivers, and it’s priceless.

New Fat Cells

Finally, keep in mind that typically the places in our bodies where new fat cells pop up are the hips and thighs. For our overall health, that’s preferable because fat cells in the hips and thighs are not as likely to promote insulin resistance as fat cells in the belly area. For the belly, our primary goal is shrinking the fat cells that are there.

Summing Up | Are Fat Cells Forever?

Fat cells are tough to eliminate, but that doesn’t mean we’re doomed to plus-plus sizes and poor health. Far from it. If we’re physically active and follow a healthy diet like Pritikin, rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans, we can look good and live well regardless of what our fat cell count is.