1 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:12,039 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, welcome to another edition of Wisdom Wednesdays NA. 2 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: This week, I'm going to start with the question are 3 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: you better to be overweight and fit or a normal 4 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:23,119 Speaker 1: weight and unfit. If you said the former, then you 5 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 1: go to the top of the class. And this week 6 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 1: is all about why. Now metabolically healthy obesity may sound 7 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:35,600 Speaker 1: like an oxymoron because obesity is linked to a whole 8 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: host of health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, 9 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 1: and it's second only to cigarette smoking in terms of 10 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: its impact on accelerating aging at a fundamental biological level. 11 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: Now that being said, there are people who have a 12 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: body mass index a BMI in the overweight or obese range, 13 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: which is twenty five to thirty for overweight and more 14 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: than thirty for obese. But these people, by most measures, 15 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: are metabolically healthy. They're not insulin resistant, they have normal 16 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: blood glucose levels, they have normal blood liberals lipids, they 17 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:15,680 Speaker 1: don't have high blood pressure, and they often have superior 18 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:21,639 Speaker 1: cardioorespiratory fitness. So these metabolically healthy overweight or obese people 19 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: are also at lower risk for chronic diseases compared to 20 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 1: unhealthy overweight people, and they tend to take few or 21 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:34,839 Speaker 1: no medications. Now, that isn't to say that weight management 22 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: shouldn't be a priority for somebody who's overweight or obese, 23 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,319 Speaker 1: regardless of whether or not they're healthy, as we know 24 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: that BMI and weight are still strong predictors of disease risk, 25 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 1: particularly as you get older. But it is a clear 26 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 1: reminder that weight isn't the only barometer of health. What 27 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: makes most people with metabolically healthy obesity different from those 28 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: who are less healthy isn't quite clear right, but recent 29 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: research turns out that it's probably got something to do 30 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 1: with the unique characteristics of their fat tissue, so they 31 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,239 Speaker 1: explore this. We're going to talk about two key types 32 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:18,799 Speaker 1: of fat, subcutaneous and visceral fat, and how they impact 33 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: your health very very differently. Plus, we're going to explore 34 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,520 Speaker 1: the latest findings from a couple of recent studies on 35 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 1: how regular physical activity and fitness not only reduces dangerous 36 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:35,280 Speaker 1: visceral fat, but also changes how your fat tissue functions 37 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,679 Speaker 1: at a molecular level. And this is the key. Now, 38 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: these insights are game changers, especially if you're overweight or 39 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: you're struggling to lose weight. And I've said for many 40 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: years that it's better to be fit and overweight than 41 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: unfit and a normal weight, and this research, this new 42 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: research strongly reinforces that. So the first study I want 43 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 1: to talk about is published in Nature Metabolism, a really 44 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: top quality journal, and it was led by researchers from 45 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:06,640 Speaker 1: the University of Michigan. So they studied two groups of 46 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: adults who were even overweight or obese, and one group 47 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 1: had been doing endurance exercise for over two years while 48 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: the other group did buggeroll and both groups were carefully 49 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: matched by body fat percentage, which allowed the researchers to 50 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: specifically study high exercise and fitness rather than weight loss 51 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:33,080 Speaker 1: alone impacts on fat tissue. And another study that is 52 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 1: kind of linked to this was published in the International 53 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 1: Journal of Obesity, and it focused on participants with overweight 54 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: or obesity who underwent an eight week supervised endurance training 55 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: program and they exercised for one r three times a week, 56 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: and the researchers took samples of the fat tissues before 57 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 1: and after the intervention, and this study provided crucial insights 58 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 1: into high fat tissue responds to both acute and long 59 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: term exitercise. As you said, the both of those studies, 60 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: and the beautiful thing is the first one is observational 61 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: and then the second one is an actual intervention study. 62 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 1: But combining the data from both we get really good evidence. 63 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 1: So let's break down the difference between subcutaneous and visceral 64 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: fat and why it matters. So subcutaneous, fact, you may 65 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 1: be aware, is the layer of fat that's just underneath 66 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 1: your skin. It's the stuff that you can pinch, and 67 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:29,159 Speaker 1: whilst having too much of it is obviously not a 68 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: good thing, it's far less dangerous than visceral fat. Now, 69 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: this is the sort of fat that is underneath your stomach, 70 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 1: muscles and around your organ so we can't pinch it, 71 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: we can't even see it. But these two new studies 72 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:49,720 Speaker 1: show that exercise improves how your subcutaneous fat stores energy, 73 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 1: and we know it's better to have your energy stored 74 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 1: in this type of fat rather than the visceral fat. 75 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: So visceral fat, as I said, is much more harmful. 76 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:01,600 Speaker 1: It builds up around your org, around your livery, your 77 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:05,040 Speaker 1: pancreasty and testines, and it is linked to a whole 78 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,599 Speaker 1: host of serious health problems. So, as I said, it's 79 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 1: a different type of fat. Because it actually produces its 80 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:16,600 Speaker 1: own hormones, and some researchers are suggesting we should be 81 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:20,600 Speaker 1: looking at visceral fat as an endocrine organ because it 82 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:26,039 Speaker 1: produces these hormones called autopus kinds and they drive cellular inflammation, 83 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: which is the driver of many chronic conditions. And we 84 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: know there's a huge, long list of conditions associated with 85 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: excess visceral fat, but I'll just talk about a few 86 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 1: of the big ones. So heart disease. We know that 87 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: visceral fat increases the risk of plaque building up in 88 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:46,599 Speaker 1: the arteries, leading to heart attacks and strokes, and then 89 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:51,280 Speaker 1: it also promotes insulin resistance and drives type two diabetes. 90 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 1: But the hormones that I talked about earlier on in 91 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:58,719 Speaker 1: these inflammatory compounds that are associated with those hormones actually 92 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 1: cause your blood pressure to arise, further straining your cardiovascular system. 93 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:08,479 Speaker 1: And when that fat accumulates in the liver, it leads 94 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 1: to liver damage. And many people have heard of fatty 95 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 1: liver disease, and now we have non alcoholic fatty liver disease, 96 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: and over time that can result in liver failure. And 97 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 1: then visra fat has been linked to a number of 98 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: different cancers, including colorectal cancer and breast cancer to the 99 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:31,360 Speaker 1: biggest killers. So this is why visceral fat is dangerous 100 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:34,680 Speaker 1: and you want to minimize that. And whilst as I said, 101 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: you can't see it, it is wreaking havoc on your health. 102 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:42,599 Speaker 1: So reducing it is really essential for anybody who's looking 103 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 1: to improve their long term health outcomes. So let's explore 104 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:49,839 Speaker 1: how exercise helps. So both those studies I mentioned found 105 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 1: that regular physical activity doesn't just burn calories, it actually 106 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 1: remodels your fat tissue in a way that makes it 107 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 1: healthier stuf from nature metabolism, so that people who've been 108 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:07,160 Speaker 1: exercising for more than two years had more capillaries in 109 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: their subcutaneous fat tissue, So that basically meant that more 110 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 1: blood and oxygen was getting there as well as nutrients, 111 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 1: which then all together helped the fat to store excess 112 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:27,280 Speaker 1: energy in that particular type of fat. And additionally, the 113 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:32,640 Speaker 1: exercisers had fewer inflammatory sales like macriphizes in their fat tissue. 114 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 1: And this is key because the inflammation in fat tissue, 115 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: as I said earlier, can lead to insular resistance and 116 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 1: type two diabetes cardiovascar disease and even now neuro degenerative 117 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 1: diseases as well as some forms of cancer. So as 118 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 1: well as all of that, the fat sales in the 119 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:55,680 Speaker 1: people who exercised regularly had a higher capacity to store 120 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: energy in that sub subcutaneous fat. And that might sound 121 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 1: counter intuitive that it's better to be able to store fat, 122 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: but it actually keeps it away from the organs, which 123 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:10,239 Speaker 1: is key if you put it into the subcutaneous fat. 124 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 1: So what happens is once your subcutaneous fat sales get 125 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 1: filled up, it goes into that visceral fat. Now, the 126 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 1: International Journal of Obesity study also found something really interesting. 127 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 1: After just eight weeks of regular endurance training, participants had 128 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:32,679 Speaker 1: a significant reduction in fat volume, especially their visceral fat. 129 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:37,760 Speaker 1: And more importantly, the researchers notice changes at the molecular level. 130 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: As I mentioned earlier on, so the fat celles showed 131 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 1: less activity in genes related to lipid storage, meaning that 132 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:50,319 Speaker 1: the body was actually becoming more efficient at breaking down 133 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: and utilizing fat instead of storing it. So there's two 134 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:57,079 Speaker 1: things at play here. The body gets more efficient at 135 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:01,200 Speaker 1: using fat and when it does store it because there's 136 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 1: just an excess of overall energy, it's likely to store 137 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:08,559 Speaker 1: it in the subcutaneous fat rather than the visceral fat. 138 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:12,040 Speaker 1: But it also this study reveals something else pretty fascinating. 139 00:09:12,559 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 1: Exercise helps to reset the circadian rhythm of fat tissue, 140 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:20,520 Speaker 1: and most people don't realize that lots of your sales 141 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 1: run off circadian biology, and when that circadian rhythm gets disrupted, 142 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:30,760 Speaker 1: it actually creates metabolic mayhem. So this means that not 143 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 1: only does your body store fat more effectively, but it 144 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: also coordinates this process with your body's natural clock, and 145 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:43,520 Speaker 1: this synchronization, the researchers think could help to improve metabolism 146 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:47,480 Speaker 1: and lower the risk of diseases such as diabetes and 147 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 1: neurodegenerative diseases. So what does this all mean for real humans? Well, 148 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:55,080 Speaker 1: I think the big thing is that if you're overweight, 149 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:59,559 Speaker 1: you're struggling with your weight or your obese, fitness should 150 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:03,160 Speaker 1: be the more important metric than the number on the scale, 151 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:09,000 Speaker 1: and just focusing on getting fit is probably the most 152 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 1: important thing that you can do for your health. You 153 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 1: may also lose some weight as you go on that journey, 154 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:18,760 Speaker 1: but I know so many people, and particularly in the 155 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:21,400 Speaker 1: fitness industry, that people they go and they join a 156 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:24,839 Speaker 1: gym because they're wanting to lose weight, and they don't 157 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 1: lose weight, and they get disheartened and they just stop. 158 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:32,439 Speaker 1: But if these people could just see what's happening underneath 159 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:36,199 Speaker 1: the hood in terms of the impact on the fat 160 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:42,120 Speaker 1: tissue type and the metabolic function of that fat, they 161 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:46,640 Speaker 1: would definitely be continuing. So it's a real shame that 162 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:49,240 Speaker 1: we don't have some sort of a device that can 163 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:52,719 Speaker 1: actually look into the body and just see the difference 164 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 1: from a metabolic process. So the big thing really is 165 00:10:57,679 --> 00:11:01,160 Speaker 1: to focus on getting as fit as you possibly can, 166 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 1: because when you get fit, it improves your heart health. 167 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:08,199 Speaker 1: Your strength is your cardiovascar system, reduces your risk of 168 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,680 Speaker 1: heart disease and other diseases. It improves your insulin sensitivity, 169 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:15,400 Speaker 1: it reduces your inflammation, it improves your mental health, and 170 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:18,120 Speaker 1: it increases your long devity. You'll have heard me banging 171 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:23,400 Speaker 1: on about the single biggest predictor of longevity is your 172 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:27,760 Speaker 1: cardio respiratory fitness. So focus less on the skills and 173 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:31,840 Speaker 1: more on getting yourself fit. That's it for this week, folks, 174 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:32,960 Speaker 1: Catch you next time.