Obesity is rampant in first world countries. The USA has 33% of its population overweight or obese; Canada, 24%. And other large, rich nations are following suit. The obesity epidemic is gender, race, and religion neutral. It affects everyone. And it's all up-front for everyone to see: our big bellies. Underlying our bellies is the omentum, which until relatively recent times very few had heard about. But now it is on a growing number of lips. Television show hosts in North America like Dr. Oz and Oprah Winfrey have introduced millions of TV watchers to the omentum, which hides an ugly, obese truth: it can be poisonous to your health.
Supersize Me
In the documentary movie Supersize Me, Morgan Spurlock gained 24 1/2 pound, much of it in the waist area, in thirty days on MacDonald's fast food. The health impacts of the high caloric, high fat diet were astounding. After 24 days into the fast food diet, his general practitioner noticed that Morgan's blood test numbers (e.g., triglycerides) were "obscene", and counselled him to stop his 'experiment'. (Morgan had three doctors and a dietician monitoring his "progress".) Morgan, in fact, completed the 30 days.
Ironically, Morgan's girlfriend was scared, but supported him through the entire period. Immediately upon finishing this quest to discover the health effects of the Supersize Me diet, Morgan's girlfriend (who was a vegan) put him on a detox diet. It took close to a year for Morgan to return to his normal weight of 185 pounds!
Was Morgan Poisoned?
During Supersize Me, it was revealed that there were only seven items on the MacDonald's menu that did not have sugar. Moreover, during the 30-day diet Morgan consumed on average 5000 calories per day. Many of those calories were from simple sugars. Morgan became lethargic, had headaches, his blood revealed dangerously high levels of fats, his blood pressure was rising, and his liver function was declining. He was growing sicker by the day.
Sugar is addictive, and we must cut back on quantities consumed (Oz, M. (2011). The #1 Food You Need to Lose, Pt. 1.) It causes an increase of visceral fat, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, and metabolic syndrome. Uncontrolled sugar intake can kill you.
The Omentum's Potentially Harmful Role
The omentum's role is an important one because " the omentum can store fat that is quickly accessible to the liver (meaning it can cause lousy cholesterol and triglyceride levels to rise) and also sucks insulin out of circulation (making your blood sugar rise)" (Roizen, M. (2011). What's the link between the omentum and fat in the blood?. So the omentum can be a big problem for those who are overweight and obese. I strongly suggest that the reader go to this Dr. Oz weblink where Dr. Michael Roizen (Chief Wellness Officer, Cleveland Clinic) answers this question: "Why is the omentum fat the most harmful fat in the body?"
A Big Belly can be Poisonous to Your Health
The liver works closely with the omentum to both store and use fat. If you eat too much, fat will be stored in the omentum. If the body gets stressed and needs energy, the liver will use the omentum for that energy. It is important to note that the liver processes everything you eat or drink. Good stuff and bad stuff. Moreover, the liver will store the bad stuff in the omentum. For example, if you eat meat that has been tenderized, or drink soy milk, they contain both chemicals and those chemicals will end up in the omentum.
Under stressful conditions, the liver will call upon the omentum for energy, and fat will be burned along with any stored chemicals (e.g., estrogens) in those fat cells. The omentum also secretes adiponectin, which is a stress and anti-inflammation reducing chemical, plus it is related to the hunger controlling hormone called leptin. Therefore, obese people produce less adiponectin than average-weight people, but also less leptin. It becomes a vicious cycle.
The Final Word on a Poisonous Belly
The final word on a big belly goes to Dr. Oz once again: "Now, the problem with the omentum is when you've got a lot of belly fat, that fat does three things. It puts pressure on your kidneys, which generates high blood pressure. It poisons your liver, which causes your blood to look like it's got cream in it. And it gets your cholesterol up off the wall. And that fat ultimately paralyzes insulin, and you get diabetes." (Oz, M. (2011). Dr. Oz's All-Star Advice.)
Sources
- Morley, J., Pederson, D., Pederson, D., Spurlock, M., Winters, H.M. (Producers) & Spurlock, M. (Director). (2004) Supersize Me [Motion Picture]. U.S.A.: Kathbur Pictures, The Con, Studio on Hudson
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