GLYCOGEN STORES AND OBESITY

Glycogen Stores and Obesity

Glycogen Stores and Obesity

Introduction

The levels of insulin in your blood may be the single most important chemical level to your health and wellness. Most are aware that insulin has something to do with regulating blood sugar, but what is less well known is that insulin has its fingers in almost every organ system in the body, and as the regulation and then levels of insulin in the blood get thrown off, its effects are generally detrimental, and in fact, most of the diseases of aging have direct relationships to the balance of this important chemical (Bazin H; 1990). The causes of insulin resistance lay mostly in dietary factors, and so does the remedy for insulin imbalance, or insulin resistance. The primary purpose of insulin in the human body is to cause for the storage of excess nutrients. With the intake of sugar, when the body recognizes there to be more sugar in the blood stream than is needed for the current activity level insulin is released to initiate the storage.

Analysis

The High and still increasing prevalence of obesity in affluent societies is known to produce major health hazards. Apart from environmental factors, it is now commonly accepted that obesity is also under the influence of genetic factors. However, the impact of environmental factors in the prevalence of obesity has been illustrated by Ravussin and Tataranni (Shaw WA, Issekutz TB, Issekutz Jr B, 1976). They studied two populations with similar genetic background (Pima Indians) living in different environments (Mexico and Arizona). The Mexican Pima Indians have a body mass index that is 7-10 units lower than the Arizona Pima Indians, a difference that might be explained by the higher fat intake and lower spontaneous physical activity observed in the Arizona Pima Indians. Other studies (11, 15) also suggest an association between obesity and a high-fat (HF) intake. In humans, it has been shown that fat intake does not promote its own oxidation (Couturier et al, 2002).

One model that can explain the high prevalence of obesity in Western societies is the two-compartment model of Flatt. According to this model, fat oxidation can be raised by two mechanisms. First, fat oxidation can be increased when glycogen stores are maintained in a low range. However, in Western societies, with the abundance of food available, people will eat to maintain glycogen stores filled. On an HF diet, this means that people overeat and therefore gain weight (Bazin H; 1990). Second, the associated expansion of the fat mass will lead to an increase in fat oxidation until a new equilibrium is reached in which average fat intake equals fat oxidation. Therefore, obesity can be seen as a mechanism to adapt to an HF intake (1). The need for the human body to expand its body fat mass in response to an HF intake can be prevented by regular physical activity (18). It is evident that individuals who are regularly physically active are much less prone to become obese compared ...