How Our Fat Cells Work

[penpal]

I learned some interesting facts about body fat at this site:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/fat-cell.htm

For instance, a fetus develops its fat cells during the third trimester of pregnancy and then the rest of our fat cells grow at puberty. From then on, we don't get any additional fat cells - they just get bigger!

Our bodies find it much easier to store fat we consume as body fat than it does carbohydrates, so the first choice for fat storage is the fat we eat (this seems a bit at odds with the low carb theory).

[Blueyedblond]

I hate fat cells.

[iconoclast]

In this month's Women's Health there was an article about fat cells which quoted a recent study saying that our understanding of fat cells has been wrong, and that it's possible for your body to create new cells (basically, I believe, when a fat cell can get no larger, it divides). I think it said something along the lines of how an obese person can actually have twice as many fat cells as a normal-weight person, and once created, those cells can't be destroyed.

I was actually quite surprised to read that, having heard the opposite. Does anyone else know anything about this? I might do dig the magazine out.

[thirdangel]

I've heard that before. It makes sense to me and I think it explains how so many people can become obese, even after being normal weight.