So hard to say goodbye ... to fat cells

Fat cells are, more or less, forever. That is the basic message in a new study published in Nature. Leaving aside the details of the study, the gist is this: as children, particularly in early childhood and around puberty, we convert excess calories into new fat cells. Thus, overweight in childhood is associated with a large population of fat cells, a state known in the trade as "hyperplastic obesity." As adults, weight loss and gain tends to be about growing and shrinking the fat cells we already have. When obesity is due to over-large fat cells (adipocytes), it is known as "hypertrophic obesity." Any adult who has attempted weight loss knows it's tough, even if the weight was gained AS an adult. But it will be that much tougher for kids subject to early-onset obesity to ever lose weight and keep it off, because they will have an excess number of fat cells to contend with. And those fat cells don't go away without a fight. The Nature study reveals that they hang in there, even after significant weight loss. Weight loss is always possible, but it's very hard to say goodbye to the fat cells we already have. The best way to address childhood obesity, therefore, is to prevent it. This is a case where the classic adage about ounces of prevention and pounds of cure is literally about ounces and pounds of body weight. Saying goodbye to fat cells accumulated early in life is extremely difficult. So we have to do a much better job of helping our kids not say hello in the first place. More ways to eat well and stay healthy: Shrink a Size By Summer! 100 Ways to Cut 100 Calories Cut Cholesterol With Fiber-Full Foods by David Katz, MD, PREVENTION