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QUESTION:
Dear
Tom: I have been following your Burn The Fat system with good
results. I am losing body fat and maintaining my current lean mass.
I've noticed that during my calorie deficit phase I sometimes suffer
from light-headedness and nausea out of the blue for no particular
reason but not during my maintenance phase. I was looking into it
and read an article that said toxins from the food in the
"typical American diet" get
stored inside our fat cells along with excess dietary fat when we
overeat, and when we create a calorie deficit and burn the excess
fat in our bodies, we release those toxins back into the blood
stream. Have you ever heard of this? Any truth?
ANSWER:
Yes, your fat
cells can accumulate numerous types of toxins. For example, almost
everyone has traces of pesticides in their bodies. Many people freak
out when they hear this, so they become more likely to fall for all
kinds of bizarre and usually unproven "detoxification"
rituals.
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It is a shame that our environment has become polluted, but
the real questions are whether trace amounts of these substances
pose any health risk and whether you actually have toxic levels in
your body.
One group of
substances that has come to attention recently in the context of fat
loss, (in addition to health concerns), is organochlorines,
including DDT, PCB’s and Dioxins. There is scientific evidence
that these chemicals can be stored in fat cells and are released
into your system when fat is lost.
The fish and
wildlife service web page (www.fws.gov) has some detailed info on the
chemistry and toxicology. One part was of particular interest:
"Organochlorines
(OC's) are compounds that contain carbon, chlorine, and hydrogen.
Their chlorine-carbon bonds are very strong which means that they do
not break down easily. They are highly insoluble in water, but are
attracted to fats. Since they resist metabolism and are readily
stored in fatty tissue of any animal ingesting them, they accumulate
in animals in higher trophic levels. This may occur when birds eat
fish that have been exposed to the contaminant. It may also affect
humans if they drink milk of a dairy cow that has ingested the
chemical because the chemical is excreted in its milk fat. This is
called biological magnification."
Some people may
recall Rachel Carson and "Silent Spring" back in the
1960's which was largely responsible for the environmental movement
and banning of DDT pesticides. Despite being banned decades ago,
these chemicals can remain in our environment and in our bodies for
years and organochlorine pollution appears to remain a very real
issue today.
As for the
release of these substances from your fat cells with weight loss,
well, what can you say; those are the consequences of environmental
pollution and this is just one more reason to stay lean and eat
clean and perhaps also, do your share to take care of our
environment, if you are so inclined. But I do believe for the most
part, your body is quite well equipped to naturally detoxify most
toxins that are ingested in "normal" (small) amounts or
would likely be released slowly with normal rates of fat loss. I
don't think this is a reason NOT to lose weight, although some
researchers say that obese men and women have to "weigh the
health advantages of losing the weight with a potentially harmful
effect."
Unfortunately,
there is another twist: Some data suggests that if these chemicals
are released into your system as you lose weight, they could hamper
fat loss by decreasing thyroid (T3 conversion) or reducing
thermogenesis during weight loss if an obese person had accumulated
these chemicals in their fat cells.
Everyone who
loses weight experiences some degree of metabolic adaptation as they
diet and lose weight, and some obese people seem to have a defect in
thermogenesis or their hormones may be out of whack. Scientists
began wondering if chemicals released from stored fat into
circulation could be a cause of this metabolic slowdown. To the best
of my knowledge, these findings have not been confirmed as causative
through experimental research, but it's a disturbing prospect
because getting lean is hard enough as it is.
Regarding the
question about nausea and lightheadedness, I looked at several
scientific studies on this subject and even after reading the full
papers, I did not see any references to nausea or light headedness
being related to Organochlorine release with weight loss. I did,
however, see references to suppressed immune system and estrogenic
effects in addition to the effects on thyroid. Light headedness
could be as simple as low glycogen or blood sugar and caloric
deficit.
If you take this
research at face value it creates quite a conundrum, doesn't it? My
advice is... don't. Don't be alarmist. Take the weight off anyway.
Do it slowly and safely, and then keep it off - do NOT cycle up and
down in weight. Also, this might be yet one more good reason to
question the wisdom of losing weight quickly since the total body
burden of OC's is greater in overweight people than in lean people,
leaving them more susceptible to adverse effects. As one researcher
said, "it could be preferable to moderate body weight
loss."
I wouldn't let
articles about "the typical American diet poisoning you with
toxins" make you worry too much or jump on any bizarre detox
rituals that don't have scientific support. You have to be pretty
careful in the area of "detoxification" because it is
filled with quackery and pseudoscience. Packaged, processed and
refined foods are unhealthy. But this issue isn't about chemicals
used in food processing, nor is it as simple as saying that eating
"junk food" fills you with toxins. This is an
environmental pollution issue, where the toxins find their way into
our food supply - even "clean foods" - and then into our
bodies, where in this case, they remain there for years.
I know it would
be great if I could end this article by telling you how to get the
OC’s out of your system. Unfortunately, the research data I have
read does not propose a solution yet. Some people choose organic to
avoid pesticides that are still used today, although the benefits of
that would be preventative, not retroactive. For now, the best bet
is to lose weight at a sensible rate, maintain a healthy weight, and
eat clean, unprocessed foods as much as possible.
If you'd like to
learn more about how to decrease your body fat level in a safe,
sensible, natural way, then visit: www.BurnTheFat.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom
Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning
specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the
author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you
how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods of the
world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid
of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting:
www.BurnTheFat.com
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