Dieting the scientific way 2
2
Keep cool
Older dieters may remember something called brown fay.Unlike the undesirable white stuff,this was a dieter's dream.Instead of storing excess energy as fat, brown-fat tissue burned it off to keep you warm at least in mice.Brown fat fell out of favour because researchers couldn't find much in humans but now ,thanks to the New England Journal of Medicine ,its back in fashion .The idea is to expose people to cold temperatures .They then make more brown fat and their weight drops .Women kept at 22 degree C used up 27 more grams of body fat a day than those at 27 degree C .So turn down that thermostat.
Check your testosterone level
( men only)
If you are a middle aged man whose middle is spreading , it may not just be that you are exercising less and eating more, but that you are making too much of the female hormone estrogen.
Although we talk about male and female hormones , we all make both,and we all use testosterone to make estrogen .This is particularly significant for older men.As we age ,we not only make less testosterone ,we also turn more of it into estrogen . The extra estrogen encourages more fat to be laid down around the middle just the place where fat stores are linked with an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease.This sets up a vicious circle.The newly stored fat pumps out more of the enzyme that turns testosterone into estrogen.
To break the circle , you could exercise to give yourself energy and build muscle- although your reduced testosterone will make that option less appealing.A testosterone supplement which a few doctors prescribe if your level has become very low.,may help.You could also stop drinking because having to clear away regular large amounts of alcohol means your liver is less efficient at getting rid of the extra estrogen.
Keep cool
Older dieters may remember something called brown fay.Unlike the undesirable white stuff,this was a dieter's dream.Instead of storing excess energy as fat, brown-fat tissue burned it off to keep you warm at least in mice.Brown fat fell out of favour because researchers couldn't find much in humans but now ,thanks to the New England Journal of Medicine ,its back in fashion .The idea is to expose people to cold temperatures .They then make more brown fat and their weight drops .Women kept at 22 degree C used up 27 more grams of body fat a day than those at 27 degree C .So turn down that thermostat.
Check your testosterone level
( men only)
If you are a middle aged man whose middle is spreading , it may not just be that you are exercising less and eating more, but that you are making too much of the female hormone estrogen.
Although we talk about male and female hormones , we all make both,and we all use testosterone to make estrogen .This is particularly significant for older men.As we age ,we not only make less testosterone ,we also turn more of it into estrogen . The extra estrogen encourages more fat to be laid down around the middle just the place where fat stores are linked with an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease.This sets up a vicious circle.The newly stored fat pumps out more of the enzyme that turns testosterone into estrogen.
To break the circle , you could exercise to give yourself energy and build muscle- although your reduced testosterone will make that option less appealing.A testosterone supplement which a few doctors prescribe if your level has become very low.,may help.You could also stop drinking because having to clear away regular large amounts of alcohol means your liver is less efficient at getting rid of the extra estrogen.
Comments
Post a Comment