Weight Gain, Insulin, & Joint Pain – why they are connected
One of the most common kinds of fat that we see on patients suffering from multiple hormone imbalances is visceral fat.
Visceral fat is the fat tissue that is stored behind your abdominal wall and surrounds vital internal organs – as opposed to subcutaneous [normal] fat, which you can feel beneath your skin.
I bring this up, because visceral fat is hard to shift and can be hard to identify.
One characteristic of visceral fat is that it’s metabolically active. This means it secretes:
Hormones which alter how we process fat and sugar.
Inflammatory molecules that can lead to damage of blood vessels, muscle and other tissue.
Excessive visceral fat increases your risk of poorer sensitivity to insulin (insulin resistance).
Although the mechanism behind this remains to be fully elucidated, one leading theory is that the inflammatory molecules produced by visceral fat, called cytokines, impair insulin signaling.
This, in turn, reduces the uptake of glucose from the bloodstream. In the long term, the resulting elevated blood glucose levels may cause damage and inflammation to various tissues.
Visceral fat contains white blood cells, which also produce these inflammatory molecules (cytokines).
High amounts of visceral fat therefore lead to a greater accumulation of white blood cells and an increased production of cytokines, which may cause damage to cells.
How do sex hormones affect the amount of visceral fat we carry?
The effects of sex hormones on fat deposition and our amount of visceral fat varies considerably between men and women.
Men
Several studies suggest that an increased amount of visceral fat is associated with low levels of testosterone relative to levels of oestrogen. Under this relationship, both reduced testosterone production and/or excessive oestrogen production can lead to more visceral fat tissue.
Women
In contrast to men, high levels of testosterone relative to levels of oestrogen cause greater deposition of visceral fat in women. This can be either a result of increased testosterone production and/or reduced oestrogen production. On this note, studies suggest that post-menopausal women are more likely to experience an accumulation of visceral fat.
How does visceral fat affect our balance of sex hormones?
Unfortunately, too much visceral fat can also further upset our balance of sex hormones, leading to more visceral fat accumulation. This is a prime example of a vicious cycle or feedback loop.
For example, in men, visceral fat contains an enzyme which converts testosterone into oestrogen.
Having high amounts of visceral fat therefore increases the rate of this conversion, leading to:
- Decreased circulating testosterone levels.
- Increased circulating oestrogen levels.
- Lower ratio of testosterone to oestrogen.
All three of these effects may lead to the further deposition of visceral fat.
In conclusion, when you look at visceral fat, and the amount of visceral fat in the body, it tells us a lot about your hormones. As time passes, visceral fat increases and causes other issues in the body, like inflammation.
It’s not uncommon for us to see patients that suffer from multiple hormone imbalances, including insulin resistance, and also suffer from muscle and/or joint pain and suffer from weight gain that doesn’t shift.
Most obese patients have high levels of visceral fat, but that’s an article for another day. It does make one wonder though, could hormone imbalances be causing the increased number of Australians suffering from obesity?
I hope you found this interesting and informative.
If you or someone you love is suffering from insulin-related challenges, or struggling to lose weight, we can help you!
It’s not uncommon for us to see patients that suffer from multiple hormone imbalances, including insulin resistance, and also suffer from muscle and/or joint pain and suffer from weight gain that doesn’t shift.
Most obese patients have high levels of visceral fat, but that’s an article for another day. It does make one wonder though, could hormone imbalances be causing the increased number of Australians suffering from obesity?
I hope you found this interesting and informative.
If you or someone you love is suffering from insulin-related challenges, or struggling to lose weight, we can help you!
Schedule a Free Introductory Consultation with us to see if hormones could be the root cause of your challenges. You can book a time that suits you here: https://calendly.com/ssnc/free-introductory-consultation
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