by Catherine Barbaro

Created on: September 18, 2008

The question is "how does the body get rid of fat?" The answer is unfortunately, "It depends." Conventional logic has always been that it is burned or stored and that it can be burned off later. Research is now pointing to some fats never being able to be burned off.

Generally, as we take in food, our bodies digest it and utilize it. If we take in more than we need, it is stored. Stored fat tends to make us sluggish, lower our metabolism and encourage further storage of fat. To burn off fat, we have to create a higher demand for energy by exercising. This higher demand for energy is like accelerating a car. When you drive at a slower and steadier speed, less fuel is burned and more is held in reserve. But when you accelerate more, more fuel is burned. The more varied and interval the acceleration is the more fuel is burned. Our bodies are sort of like many hybrid vehicles in that they have more than one source of fuel to burn.

Many believe any exercise will burn fat. Of course exercise can burn fat, but fat is not the first energy source our bodies utilize. Our bodies are incredibly efficient and they tap into the most easily burned fuel first. That fuel is glycogen. It is created from carbohydrates and sugars. So a body first burns off the sugar stores first. If a person exercises long enough or has less sugar and carbohydrate stores available, then the body enters lipolysis and begins to break down fats into fatty acids and glycerol so it can be burned for energy.

This means that diet is as important as exercise. If someone exercises but consumes way too much carbohydrates and sugars, then their body takes longer to enter lipolysis and burn the fat. If they don't exercise long enough, they don't get to the point where their body breaks down the fat.

Now we get to the gray area that keeps the question of how a body gets rid of fat from being easily answered. Trans fats have received much coverage of late and many restaurant chains and food manufacturers have cut down or quit using trans fats. Trans fats are really fake fats. They are not naturally occurring fats. Manufacturers created them to be a cheaper version of fat. Research has proven a strong link between higher cholesterol and heart disease because of the inflammatory properties of trans fats. And now research seems to be pointing to these trans fats as never leaving the body once they are consumed. Research further points to trans fats settling mostly around the heart and heavily clogging arteries.

So this makes the question of how to burn fat one that may not be fully answered. Some fats, trans fats should not be consumed because they can't be burned. Other fats can be burned with a balanced diet that focuses on real foods that have limited processing like natural meats, vegetables and fruits. Healthy interval exercise promotes fat loss. Consuming water as a primary beverage and staying fully hydrated encourages further fat loss. The science isn't complicated. It has just a few extra words that expand our vocabulary and our understanding of how fat is burned. Knowledge is power. But with that knowledge, we must utilize it or it is wasted.

Learn more about this author, Catherine Barbaro.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.