The function of fat, the relationship between obesity and age, immunity, thyroid and hypertension

What is fat, and what is its relationship to obesity?

Fat is an important component of the human body structure.

A male weighing 65 kg has a body fat content of approximately 9 kg, or 13.8%.

Fat is a form of energy storage in the human body, including subcutaneous fat and the fat layer around internal organs.

Lipids in the human body are divided into two parts: fats and lipids.

Fats, also known as true fats, neutral fats, and triglycerides, are composed of one molecule of glycerol and three molecules of fatty acids.

Fats can be divided into two types: unsaturated and saturated. Animal fats are mostly saturated fatty acids and are solid at room temperature. In contrast, vegetable oils are mostly unsaturated fatty acids and are liquid at room temperature.

Lipids refer to cholesterol, phospholipids, lecithin, etc.

In summary, its functions include: ① fat is a warehouse for storing energy in the body, mainly providing heat energy; ② protecting internal organs and maintaining body temperature; ③ assisting in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins; ④ participating in various metabolic activities of the body, etc.

Although fat has many functions and roles, its content in the body is limited. Excessive amounts can affect the body's metabolic activities and cause many diseases.

This is what people often say: "Obesity is a breeding ground for disease."

So what range of body fat percentage is considered normal, and how much above that is considered obese? This has been explained in detail in previous Q&As. In short, an increase in body fat percentage is directly proportional to the degree of obesity.

What is the relationship between obesity and age?

The survey found that 11.5% of obese individuals started gaining weight before the age of 15; 14% started between the ages of 15 and 19; 18% started between the ages of 20 and 29; 33.8% started between the ages of 30 and 39; 28.1% started between the ages of 40 and 49; 5.6% started between the ages of 50 and 59; and 0.1% started over the age of 60.

This shows that the largest number of people start gaining weight between the ages of 30 and 39, followed by those between 40 and 49 and those between 20 and 29. This may be related to the fact that people over 30 tend to have more stable lives.

It is worth noting that in recent years, the incidence of obesity among children (under 15 years old) has shown an increasing trend.

This is largely related to the unreasonable diet and nutritional intake given to children by their parents.

For the sake of our children's future and their healthy growth, and to prevent this "childhood adult disease" from harming our next generation, every parent should properly manage their children's diet. Three meals a day, on time, less snacks, less sweets, and increased physical activity are important measures for weight loss and treatment.

For adults with obesity, preventing and treating complications is an important step in weight loss treatment.

What is the relationship between obesity and immunity?

Immunity is the physiological function of the body's immune system to distinguish between "self" and "non-self" components and to reject heterogeneous substances.

When the body is abnormal, it can cause damage to its own tissues. Its main functions are threefold: ① defense, namely anti-infection immunity, which manifests as allergic reactions when the function is too strong; ② maintaining homeostasis, such as removing old or damaged cells, which manifests as autoimmunity when the function is too strong; ③ immune surveillance, namely removing abnormal cell variants that frequently occur in the body. When the function is weakened, such as in the case of malignant tumors in the elderly.

Obese people may appear strong, but in reality they are "all show and no substance." What about the immune function of obese people?

In daily life, you will see that obese people are prone to catching colds and do not recover quickly; obese people are short of breath after exercise; obese people often have "bumps" under their skin.

All of these indicate that obese people have problems with their defense system and low immune function.

Whether the weakened immune function of obese people can be reversed depends entirely on weight loss.

What is the relationship between obesity and thyroid function?

The thyroid gland is an important endocrine gland in the human body. The thyroid hormone secreted by the thyroid gland promotes the breakdown and metabolism of fat in the human body, increases the oxygen consumption, heat production and adenosine triphosphate synthesis in many tissues, and at the same time promotes the synthesis of proteins, ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid in many cells, thereby promoting human growth and development.

Hypothyroidism, caused by any reason, can reduce tissue catabolism, decrease heat production, and reduce the production of proteins and nucleic acids. This leads to the accumulation of some metabolic products in tissues, especially a substance called mucoprotein or mucopolysaccharide, which can be widely deposited in various tissues and organs, including subcutaneous tissue, causing myxedema.

Patients may experience weight gain, especially noticeable swelling in the face, eyelids, and anterior tibial region.

This type of myxedema differs from obesity-related edema, which leaves pitting edema upon pressure. Generally, it leaves no mark after pressure, and the skin has reduced elasticity and becomes rough.

Patients may also experience clinical symptoms of hypometabolism, such as chills, sluggish reactions, slowed speech, and significant memory loss.

Therefore, hypothyroidism is often mentioned in the diagnosis of obesity. However, although hypothyroidism may cause weight gain, it is not the same as obesity. It is important to differentiate between the two to avoid delaying the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

What is the relationship between obesity and high blood pressure?

The incidence of hypertension is very high among obese individuals, and the contributing factors are:

(1) Genetic factors

Genetics also plays a role in the development of hypertension in obese individuals.

Recent studies have found that hypertensive patients often have hyperinsulinemia, including some hypertensive patients with normal weight.

Hyperinsulinemia has a direct or indirect effect on the blood vessel walls, which greatly influences the development of hypertension.

These patients often have a family history of the disease.

(2) Changes in hemodynamics

An increase in the oxygen difference between arteries and veins is particularly noticeable during activity.

Because obese patients have a large increase in body fat, their blood circulation volume increases accordingly, which also increases the peripheral resistance of small arteries and accelerates cardiac output to ensure the blood supply to peripheral tissues.

The resulting arteriosclerosis can lead to hypertension.

(3) Endocrine changes

Obese individuals often experience increased adrenaline levels, imbalances in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, hyperinsulinemia, increased thyroid hormone levels, elevated adrenaline concentrations exceeding 30% of those in non-obese individuals of the same age, elevated aldosterone levels, and increased norepinephrine secretion, all of which can lead to elevated blood pressure.

(4) The influence of social environmental factors

If obese people do not like to exercise, and in addition, they usually have a good appetite and like to eat sweets and oily foods, they will consume too much energy and consume too little, which will easily lead to obesity.

Excessive fat accumulation increases the burden on the heart, leading to high blood pressure.