According to a new research finding on ‘obesity’ published on Sunday in Nature by Swedish Researchers, it is reported that the total number of fat cells remain the same through out one’s adulthood due to the reason that the fat cells that die every year gets replaced with the birth of new cells. It is estimated that 10% fat cells die each year and an equal amount is born. The replacement of the old cells by newer ones is a matter of routine body function, irrespective of the fact whether one is fat or thin, loses or gains weight.
The significance of the finding is that losing or gaining weight affects only the amount of fat stored in the cells and not the number of cells themselves. The study concentrated on people who were fat since childhood which is the normal cause for adult obesity, but, the results have thrown up more questions that need further research. Some of the questions are:
WHAT DETERMINES AS TO HOW MANY FAT CELLS ARE IN A PERSON’S BODY AND WHEN THIS NUMBER GETS DETERMINED?
WHEN SHOULD ONE INTERVENE IN AN OBESITY TREATMENT TO ENSURE PEOPLE END UP WITH FEWER FAT CELLS WHEN THEY REACH ADULTHOOD?
COULD OBESITY BE TREATED BY MAKING FAT CELLS DIE FASTER THAN THEY ARE BORN?
WHAT MAKES PEOPLE BORN THINNER DURING CHILDHOOD BUT BECOME FATTER IN ADULTHOOD?
The questions are endless and the answers would emerge only after considerable amount of research; however, experts advise caution while treating ‘obesity’ as safety concerns have to be addressed in in intervening with the cells to treat obesity. They also have expressed a view that body appears to be having its own redundant control to maintain weight.
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