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Are
Toxins in Your Fat Cells Released When You Lose Weight?
By Tom Venuto
www.burnthefat.com
QUESTION: Dear Tom: I have been following your
Burn The Fat system with good results. I am losing body fat and
maintaining my current lean mass. I've noticed that during my
calorie deficit phase I sometimes suffer from light headedness
and nausea out of the blue for no particular reason but not during
my maintenance phase. I was looking into it and read an article
that said that toxins from the food in the "typical American
diet" of processed crappy foods get stored inside our fat
cells along with excess dietary fat when we overeat, and when
we create a calorie deficit and burn the excess fat in our bodies,
we release those toxins back into the blood stream. Have you ever
heard of this? Any truth? ?
ANSWER: Yes, your fat cells can accumulate numerous
types of toxins. For example, almost everyone has traces of pesticides
in their bodies. Many people freak out when they hear this, so
they become more likely to fall for all kinds of bizarre and usually
unproven "detoxification" rituals. It is a shame that
our environment has become polluted, but the real questions are
whether trace amounts of these substances pose any health risk
and whether you actually have toxic levels in your body.
One group of substances that has come to attention recently in
the context of fat loss, (in addition to health concerns), is
organochlorines, including DDT, PCB’s and Dioxins. There
is scientific evidence that these chemicals can be stored in fat
cells and are released into your system when fat is lost.
The fish and wildlife service web page (fws.gov) has some detailed
info on the chemistry and toxicology. One part was of particular
interest:
"Organochlorines (OC's) are compounds that contain carbon,
chlorine, and hydrogen. Their chlorine-carbon bonds are very
strong which means that they do not break down easily. They
are highly insoluble in water, but are attracted to fats. Since
they resist metabolism and are readily stored in fatty tissue
of any animal ingesting them, they accumulate in animals in
higher trophic levels. This may occur when birds eat fish that
have been exposed to the contaminant. It may also affect humans
if they drink milk of a dairy cow that has ingested the chemical
because the chemical is excreted in its milk fat. This is called
biological magnification."
Some people may recall Rachel Carson and "Silent Spring" back
in the 1960's which was largely responsible for the environmental
movement and banning of DDT pesticides. Despite being banned decades
ago, these chemicals can remain in our environment and in our
bodies for years and organochlorine pollution appears to remain
a very real issue today.
As for the release of these substances from your fat cells with
weight loss, well, what can you say; those are the consequences
of environmental pollution and this is just one more reason to
stay lean and eat clean and perhaps also, do your share to take
care of our environment, if you are so inclined. But I do believe
for the most part, your body is quite well equipped to naturally
detoxify most toxins that are ingested in "normal" (small)
amounts or would likely be released slowly with normal rates of
fat loss. I don't think this is a reason NOT to lose weight, although
some researchers say that obese men and women have to "weigh
the health advantages of losing the weight with a potentially
harmful effect."
Unfortunately, there is another twist: Some data suggests that
if these chemicals are released into your system as you lose weight,
they could hamper fat loss by decreasing thyroid (T3 conversion)
or reducing thermogenesis during weight loss if an obese person
had accumulated these chemicals in their fat cells.
Everyone who loses weight experiences some degree of metabolic
adaptation as they diet and lose weight, and some obese people
seem to have a defect in thermogenesis or their hormones may be
out of whack. Scientists began wondering if chemicals released
from stored fat into circulation could be a cause of this metabolic
slowdown. To the best of my knowledge, these findings have not
been confirmed as causative through experimental research, but
it's a disturbing prospect because getting lean is hard enough
as it is.
Regarding the question about nausea and lightheadedness, I looked
at several scientific studies on this subject and even after reading
the full papers, I did not see any references to nausea or light
headedness being related to Organochlorine release with weight
loss. I did, however, see references to suppressed immune system
and estrogenic effects in addition to the effects on thyroid.
Light headedness could be as simple as low glycogen or blood sugar
and caloric deficit.
If you take this research at face value it creates quite a conundrum,
doesn't it? My advice is... don't. Don't be alarmist. Take the
weight off anyway. Do it slowly and safely, and then keep it off
- do NOT cycle up and down in weight. Also, this might be yet
one more good reason to question the wisdom of losing weight quickly
since the total body burden of OC's is greater in overweight people
than in lean people, leaving them more susceptible to adverse
effects. As one researcher said, "it could be preferable
to moderate body weight loss."
I wouldn't let articles about "the typical American diet
poisoning you with toxins" make you worry too much or jump
on any bizarre detox rituals that don't have scientific support.
You have to be pretty careful in the area of "detoxification" because
it is filled with quackery and pseudoscience. Packaged, processed
and refined foods are unhealthy. But this issue isn't about chemicals
used in food processing, nor is it as simple as saying that eating "junk
food" fills you with toxins. This is an environmental pollution
issue, where the toxins find their way into our food supply -
even "clean foods" - and then into our bodies, where
in this case, they remain there for years.
I know it would be great if I could end this article by telling
you how to get the OC’s out of your system. Unfortunately,
the research data I have read does not propose a solution yet.
Some people choose organic to avoid pesticides that are still
used today, although the benefits of that would be preventative,
not retroactive. For now, the best bet is to lose weight at a
sensible rate, maintain a healthy weight, and eat clean, unprocessed
foods as much as possible.
If you'd like to learn more about how to decrease your body fat
level in a safe, sensible, natural way, then visit: www.burnthefat.com
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning
specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom
is the author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which
teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using
methods of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn
how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by
visiting: www.burnthefat.com
