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In the developed countries of the world, excess body weight has already reached the level of a civilizational problem. Moreover, this problem is typical for almost all segments of the population and, most dangerously, for all ages – children with obesity are no less common than adults. Moreover, a slim, toned body in the United States and the European Union, for example, has now even become a certain indicator of success, a person’s well-being, a social marker of belonging to those who can afford high-quality food, gym attendance, coach services, etc. But in fact, the issue of excess body weight can be solved without significant financial costs, if you apply a competent approach based on knowledge of physiology, biochemistry and dietetics.
What is the danger of obesity?
At the very top lies, of course, the purely aesthetic aspect. Yes, the concept of beauty is subjective and varies from era to era. However, too much fat deposits make the human body completely shapeless, “blurred” – such a body has never been perceived as aesthetic. And in our time, the ideal of beauty is generally considered the complete absence of extra pounds. Accordingly, their appearance (especially in the fair sex) is an occasion for the development of complexes, rejection of their own appearance and other psychological problems.
But in addition to the deterioration of the appearance of obesity carries a direct threat to human health:
- The heart and blood vessels suffer. It has long been known that excess weight is one of the leading risk factors for acute cardiovascular disasters (heart attacks and strokes), arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, etc.
- The endocrine organs suffer. First of all, the production of a wide variety of hormones is disrupted – the thyroid gland, sex hormones, growth hormones, and many others.
- The reproductive system suffers. Overweight men are much more likely to have erectile dysfunction, and for women, obesity is one of the risk factors for infertility.
- The digestive organs suffer. Excess weight significantly increases the likelihood of developing cholecystitis, pancreatitis, cholelithiasis, fatty liver dystrophy.
- The musculoskeletal system suffers. Here the reasons are not only metabolic, but also purely physical, because high body weight means high loads on bones, ligaments and joints. And the result is arthritis, osteoarthritis, herniated discs, etc.
- The metabolism suffers. The most dangerous manifestation of this is the development of type 2 diabetes.
- Finally, obesity is one of the most important risk factors for cancer.
And what is the reason for the appearance of excess weight?
First of all, it is necessary to mention genetic pathologies and diseases of the endocrine glands, which affect the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, disrupting the processes of their breakdown and storage. But the percentage of cases of obesity caused by these causes is relatively small. Much more often, increased body weight is the result of an incorrect diet, combined with a sedentary lifestyle.
At the same time, in developed countries, obesity has become widespread, strictly speaking, in the last 60-70 years. And the explosive growth in the number of such cases, especially in childhood, has been observed since about the 80s of the twentieth century. And here a natural question arises: but the metabolism of a human, as a species, could not have changed so dramatically! Did we become so different to eat that it entailed such pronounced consequences?!
The answer, unfortunately, is positive. And the main reason is the appearance of an almost unlimited amount of carbohydrates in the diet. Moreover, they are primarily represented by simple mono-and disaccharides: glucose, galactose, fructose, sucrose, etc. Almost all of these substances have a sweet taste, and therefore are extremely attractive in food products. There are a lot of them in sweets, pastries, carbonated drinks, fast food.
But why exactly does excessive carbohydrate consumption lead to obesity?
This is the result of the work of evolution, which tried to provide us with an optimal energy supply for life. Simple carbohydrates are quickly processed with the release of energy, and therefore are the preferred “energy fuel”for our body. But throughout human history, sugar in its purest form has been an extremely rare treat. That is why we perceive their taste as sweet – so evolution encourages us to seek out and consume such compounds.
However, around the end of World War II, the population of developed countries gradually began to have access to almost unlimited amounts of simple carbohydrates. This was the result of the development of the agricultural industry, food chemistry and, in general, the economic boom. And it was here that the evolutionary mechanism of energy supply, which had been established for thousands of years, suddenly turned against humanity!
Previously, in those rare cases when the body could get a lot of carbohydrates, they were partially broken down to obtain energy, and the remainder was converted into fat and stored in fiber “for a rainy day”. That is why in the past, the textbook image of a rich man, feudal lord or other wealthy person necessarily represented him as a fat man. After all, he could afford expensive sweets in large quantities.
And in the middle of the twentieth century, everyone had access to carbohydrates, and the stimulation to consume them at the physiological level did not go away. And if an adult can still consciously control the consumption of sugars (and even then, not always!), then for children, the struggle with the evolutionary mechanism inherent in us is almost an impossible task. It is this causal chain that underlies the spread of obesity cases.
All right, so what do we do now?
Obviously, it is necessary to reduce the consumption of simple carbohydrates and control their amount in your diet. On the one hand, it seems to be simple. But on the other hand, it should be borne in mind that sugars are an excellent energy fuel.
And now we need to remember what we talked about earlier: excess carbohydrates are stored in the form of fat. Question: why? Answer: fat breakdown is an alternative mechanism of energy supply. Hmm, the attentive reader will say, so maybe this is the solution to the problem?
Alas, it’s not that simple. Some tissues are unable to convert fat into energy. And the main representative of this gourmet camp is the central nervous system – the cells of the spinal cord and brain. But nature has also provided for a backup power supply system here. Instead of glucose, the tissues of the central nervous system are able to break down ketone bodies – a small class of substances that include acetone, acetoacetic acid and beta-oxybutyric acid.
How do ketone bodies work and where do they come from?
Our body is able to produce them independently. The liver is responsible for this – it is there that fats are converted into ketone bodies, and then spread with the blood flow throughout the body. But here it should be mentioned that with a low-carb diet, ketones are” happy ” to feed on the muscles, kidney cells, adrenal glands, and many other tissues. And the liver’s ability to produce these substances is far from limitless.
Accordingly, if a person tries to reduce their carbohydrate intake in order to keep their body weight under control, then their body begins to actively extract fats from fat depots and process them into energy. Part of the fat is metabolized to ketone bodies, which are necessary for the energy supply of the brain. But” on the way ” they are captured by muscle and other tissues, which can result in a lack of energy for the central nervous system.
A similar situation develops with increased physical and mental stress. Carbohydrates “burn out” quite quickly and the tissues gradually switch to the fat type of energy supply. And given that the work of the brain is one of the most energy-consuming processes in our body, the lack of glucose first, and then ketone bodies can affect it quite quickly. This is manifested, first of all, by a decrease in the cognitive abilities of a person:
- loss of concentration;
- deterioration of performance;
- reduced productivity;
- psychological overstrain and stress;
- rapid fatigue, etc.
That is why, with low-carb diets, an influx of energy fuel from the outside in the form of ready-to-break ketone bodies will be extremely useful for supporting the work of your nervous system. An equally important role is played by such external nourishment in intensive mental and physical activity. In such cases, the reception of products with exoketones:
- first, it will be an excellent alternative to increased carbohydrate intake, that is, it will reduce the risk of weight gain;
- secondly, it will allow you to resist fatigue more successfully, improving your psychological and physical endurance;
- third, it will strengthen your ability to resist stress.
Where can we get such a boost from?
The best option will be healthy food products that contain a large amount of exogenous ketones. The domestic leader in the production of such products is the company VILAVI INT LTD. At the heart of the author’s development of its specialists, called T8 ERA EXO, is β-hydroxybutyrate (beta-oxime-butyric acid) in the form of sodium, calcium and magnesium salts. These compounds are rapidly metabolized, providing the central nervous system with a sufficient amount of high-quality energy fuel in the form of ketone bodies.
Taking T8 ERA EXO is recommended for all those who want to maintain high performance and productivity throughout the day, get additional protection from stress and increase their physical and psychological endurance.