At Healthy Options we conduct a fairly in-depth consultation with all new clients where we assess physical measurements including blood pressure, resting heart rate and body composition.
Body composition is assessed with a high tech set of scales which don’t only tell us about total body fat and muscle tissue levels, but also how much visceral fat is present.
Visceral fat comes with a higher risk profile than the fat deposited under our skin so let’s have a look at how this more dangerous tissue is produced by considering the potential final destinations of a doughnut.
The carbohydrate contained in the doughnut has several potential fates, the first of which is a conversion to glycogen which is basically the way we store glucose.
We store glycogen in our muscle tissue and liver which acts as a reserve battery pack.
Most of us can store around 1,600 calories of glycogen which is enough energy for around two hours of vigorous activity and explains why runners “hit the wall” and cyclists “bonk” if they don’t refuel during long distance events.
After such an event, when we are low on fuel, the calories from a doughnut are taken up by the muscle and liver rapidly.
For those who are not physically active, our muscles and liver remain topped up and so any excess calories are converted to fat and stored subcutaneously which just means under the skin.
This is the second potential destination of the doughnut’s calories and in theory this is a reasonably safe way to store energy if our diet had remained similar to the nutrition we enjoyed as we evolved.
We are designed to gain a little body weight in times of plenty and use that store to survive harsher periods.
Today’s high energy junk and processed foods are challenging our evolution and putting us into a constant time of plenty.
This is where things begin to go badly for us.
Excess fat gain presents us with mobility and joint problems, not to mention the way we feel about ourselves, but we can only store so much fat under our skin before it begins to leak into other areas of the body.
Like an overflowing sink with the tap turned on and the plug in, the excess energy must
go somewhere.
In your kitchen this would mean a flooded floor, waterlogged skirting boards and
wet dog paw prints throughout the house.
In our body this results in visceral fat being laid down in our abdominal cavity and around key organs such as heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas.
This can promote heart disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes through impaired insulin secretion from the pancreas.
We even see fat deposits within our muscle fibres which further increases our chance of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Visceral fat also drives inflammation in nearby organs and increases the risk of developing cancer and cardiovascular disease so you can now see why it is so important for Healthy Options to identify how much each client possesses and how we can reduce that risk.
In the same way that many people do not know they have high blood pressure, only a small percentage of the population will have any knowledge of their visceral fat levels.
The good news is visceral fat can be reduced through dietary changes and regular physical activity.
At Healthy Options we would be happy to check out your levels and offer advice and guidance on how to reduce your future risk pattern.
If that sounds like a positive plan, self-refer to our Thrive programme by visiting www.lornhealthyoptions.co.uk
Rob Graham, lead exercise professional, Healthy Options.