Worse Than You Thought

There’s long been a known correlation between heart disease and belly fat. This may be the reason why:

Scientists are reporting new evidence that the fat tissue in those spare tires and lower belly pooches — far from being a dormant storage depot for surplus calories — is an active organ that sends chemical signals to other parts of the body, perhaps increasing the risk of heart attacks, cancer, and other diseases. They are reporting discovery of 20 new hormones and other substances not previously known to be secreted into the blood by human fat cells and verification that fat secretes dozens of hormones and other chemical messengers.

Does this imply that we should be removing it via liposuction as preventive medicine, and not just cosmetic surgery? Having too much weight is apparently self reinforcing, not just because it makes it harder to exercise (and increases damage to joints in the hips and knees), but perhaps also because of the hormonal effects. Have there been any studies to see whether lipo patients’ health improved afterward, as well as their looks, or do they just put it back on?

7 thoughts on “Worse Than You Thought”

  1. “Does this imply that we should be removing it via liposuction as preventive medicine, and not just cosmetic surgery?”

    Yes. That experiment has already been done in rats and it’s hugely beneficial. Can’t find the reference right now though.

  2. I dunno, didn’t Oprah have an entire cow’s worth of fat sucked out of her body, and by the next year it was all back on? I can believe that fat cells are evil and want us to die, though: I can hear mine whispering: “You want cinnamon apple-filled donuts, not that salad, yes you do.”

  3. Hmm… medical justification for Liposuction, this means my health insurance can cover it right? so I can eat all i want and just get lipo every time it gets out of hand, even better, the women can do this too, more thin beautiful woman on the dime of the insurance compa….

    Oh, wait, by then there won’t be any health insurance companies left, and a government program that won’t approve cancer drugs for cost reasons certianly won’t pay for lipo.

    Damn, now I’m depressed, I need a donut.

  4. Hmm… medical justification for Liposuction, this means my health insurance can cover it right?

    Not only that — being preventative medicine, it’s “free” under Obamacare!

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