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Cellulite: The Bottom Line
About 95 percent of women
complain that they have some degree of cellulite. What
the French call "peau d'orange" or (rather
nastily) "graisse parasite" (inactive fat), we
call "cellulite", "cottage cheese fat", "orange-peel
skin" or just plain "aaargh!"
No one knows for sure why
women lose out in this particular battle of the sexes.
For starters, women have an average of 35 billion fat
cells compared with 28 billion in men. While cellulite
is linked to obesity meaning you're prone to it if
you're overweight, slim women too are not spared - they
may have a high percentage of body fat around their
thighs and buttocks which can go all wobbly. Puberty,
pregnancy, going on the pill and menopause are times in
a woman's life when cellulite often appears or
accelerates.
Poor lymphatic drainage,
sluggish circulation, constipation, weak functioning of
liver and kidneys are common in women prone to
cellulite. Cosmetologists postulate that a harmonious
equilibrium must exist in the fat cell layer for the
skin to remain smooth. Stress, poor diet, too much tea,
coffee, salt and/or lack of exercise can increase fat
storage and disturb this equilibrium.
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Fat
is stored as triglycerides in
fat cells. Lipolysis is
the process in which
triglycerides are split into
free fatty acids (FFAs) and
glycerol. This reaction involves
triglyceride lipase, a key
enzyme in the breakdown of fat.
FFAs and glycerol which are
released into the bloodstream
provide body systems and muscles
the energy that they need.
Phosphodiesterase (PDE) found in
fat cells can inhibit lipolysis.
Certain compounds such as
theobromine and caffeine can
inactivate PDE which in turn
enhances the performance of
triglyceride lipase to breakdown
stubborn fat.
Lipogenesis is the process in
which the circulating FFAs are
reconstructed into triglycerides
which then enter fat cells
increasing their size. This reaction
requires the lipoprotein lipase
enzyme which encourages the storage
of fat. This causes the unsightly
bulges apparent in cellulite. When
present in high concentrations,
caffeine reduces the activity of
this fat-storing enzyme, making it
an effective anti-cellulite agent. |
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Fat Facts
- Fat cells
develop during certain periods of life -
before birth and during growth periods like
infancy and adolescence. Though the number
of fat cells may be genetically determined,
it appears that if we are overfed, or we
overeat during these periods, more fat cells
are produced.
- As adults,
we possess a specific number of fat cells.
They increase in size when we take in more
calories than we use. When fat cells get
larger, they puff out - the result is the
'old mattress phenomenon', that is the
pitting, bulging and dimpling so
characteristic of cellulite.
- Slim people
generally have less fat cells or smaller fat
cells than heavier people. When a person
starts losing weight, the cells decrease in
size but the number of fat cells remains
unchanged.
- A fat cell
stores approximately 0.5 micrograms of fat.
An average individual has between 30-50
billion of fat cells throughout the body.
This translates to approximately 15kg of fat
which serves as his or her spare tank
or energy reserve.
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