Obesity and Chronic Inflammation

A new study has linked obesity with chronic inflammation, as reported in the September issue of Cell Metabolism.

Chronic inflammation within fat tissue is now associated with the many ill health consequences that come with obesity, from diabetes to heart disease, according to Japanese researcher Yuichi Oike.

Oike's team has identified a fat-derived protein that is elevated in fat tissue of those who are over weight and have high insulin levels. When healthy mice were made to have greater levels of this protein in their fat, they developed inflammation and insulin resistance.

So while researchers may try to develop a drug to target this particular protein, it would be wise to adopt lifestyle changes such as exercise and healthy eating habits to reduce bodyfat.

My suggestions would include a resistance training program that targets the major muscle groups to increase lean muscle tissue and metabolism. A walking program on the days in between would also help burn extra calories.

If you have been sedentary for a while, start off with 15-30 minutes of walking. If short on time, do 15 minutes in one part of the day and then 15 minutes later on.

One study has shown that moderate walking of only 72 minutes per week increased fitness levels slightly. Obviously, doing more than this would have greater benefits and help in decreasing stress levels, which have also been shown to relate to your immune system.

If healthy, more intense exercise that includes sessions of 30 minutes or less, has been shown to burn fat. One of these types of exercise would include interval training on an X-iser.

This inflammation study was reported in Science Daily.