How can you bind fats? | Fats in the human body

How can you bind fats?

There are various preparations on the market with the aim of reducing the amount of fat absorbed in the intestines from food. These preparations usually contain two different active ingredients. The first, Chitosan (entalten in: Refigura®), is to dissolve in the intestine and bind to the food fat, so that this cannot be taken up any longer.

The second, Orlistat, inhibits the enzyme lipase, which normally splits the fats contained in food and thus ensures that they can be better absorbed. Such preparations promise to reduce the amount of fat absorbed from food by up to 30%. However, these drugs should not be seen as miracle pills for slimming.

They are merely dietary supplements that can be taken with food and are useless without an additional change in eating habits. Some studies from Great Britain even came to the conclusion that the preparations have no effect at all. In addition, drugs of this kind often lead to side effects such as stomach cramps, flatulence, fatty stools and diarrhoea due to their intervention in digestion and metabolism.In addition, the intake can lead to the fact that some vitamins and also medicines, for example the contraceptive pill, can no longer be absorbed properly, since this is normally done bound to fats. Fat-reducing drugs should therefore be used with great care and, if necessary, as an additional measure to dietary changes and physical activity.

How can fats be reduced/reduced?

To reduce the amount of fat in the body, physical activity is still the key. During physical exercise, the body starts to release hormones such as adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisone. Among other things, these lead to the fats stored in the fatty tissue being dissolved and released into the blood.

The fats are then available to the muscles as a source of energy for the formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the “fuel of the cell”, which is necessary for muscle movement. It is not the number of fat cells that is reduced, but only the amount of fat stored in them, which ultimately results in a shrinking of the fat pads. Jogging or walking is suitable for beginners, slow endurance runs are best here, which are then increased over time.

In addition, a low-fat diet is helpful, since less energy is immediately available to the body and it must fall back on fat reserves more quickly. It is important to combine such a change in diet with physical exercise, as otherwise the muscle mass is also consumed instead of the fat reserves. It is not the number of fat cells that is reduced, but only the amount of fat stored in them, which ultimately results in a shrinking of the fat pads.

Jogging or walking is suitable for beginners, slow endurance runs are best, which are then increased over time. In addition, a low-fat diet is helpful, since less energy is immediately available to the body and it must fall back on fat reserves more quickly. It is important to combine such a change in diet with physical exercise, as otherwise the muscle mass is also consumed instead of the fat reserves.

A daily fat intake of 70-80 grams is recommended (rule of thumb: one gram per kilogram body weight). However, the fat intake of people in industrialized countries is 120-140 grams per day on average – a clear excess that is reflected in rising overweight rates. The basic rule of course for a fat reduction diet is: high-fat foods should be avoided.

For many very fatty foods there are low-fat alternatives. For example, cream cheese can be used instead of butter, cooked instead of fried potato products and low-fat milk instead of whole milk. A (largely) vegetarian diet also serves to reduce fat: vegetable products generally contain healthier fats and, above all, in smaller quantities than animal products.

Fish is lower in fat than beef, for example, and should also be preferred to it. Fast food and ready meals should generally be avoided. With a little creativity, a low-fat diet can be designed in such a way that little or no loss of taste has to be accepted.

However, the same applies here: Not too much of a good thing! A certain amount of fat, especially fats with essential fatty acids, is essential for the body to survive. A diet that is too low in fats can also lead to malnutrition.

To burn fat, it is not enough to simply eat less. This means that the body has fewer calories from food and has to fall back on reserves, but it is not so much the fat stores but rather the muscle mass that is affected. To prevent this from happening, it is also necessary to exercise to stimulate the muscles.

This not only has the pleasant side effect of increasing muscle mass and making the body more efficient, but also leads to the fat stores being used up instead. Probably the easiest way to burn fat is to jog. However, it is especially important for beginners not to overdo it.

Slow endurance runs are best suited to accustom the body to the strain. Later, both the length and the pace of the runs may be increased. The rule of thumb is: the greater the load, the more energy is burned.Of course, any other type of sport that involves a certain amount of physical exertion and may be able to last longer due to the higher fun factor works just as well.