Trying to understand fat loss? Dr. Darshan Shah, health specialist: “Your lungs are your primary fat loss organs”
Do you know what happens to fat when you burn it off? If not, don’t worry. Neither do many health professionals and personal trainers. Here’s where it goes.
We often talk about burning off those extra pounds when we are trying to lose weight. This comes from the common misconception that we transform our fat into energy; one that has been held by many medical professionals and personal trainers.
However, according to Andrew Brown and Ruben Meerman from the University of New South Wales in Australia that “violates the law of conservation of mass.” The researchers shed light on the chemical process by which we lose weight and where it goes with a calculation that they formulated. They published the findings of their study in the British Medical Journal.
Exhaling those extra pounds
The average American consumes well over the recommended 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day which can help explain why our nation has an obesity problem. Those extra calories from carbohydrates and protein end up turning into a type of fat known as triglyceride.
When we try to lose weight while maintaining our fat-free mass, we are attempting to get rid of those triglycerides stored in our bodies under the skin, especially around the belly, hips, and thighs, and around organs. When our bodies metabolize triglycerides, it breaks apart the three atoms that comprise the lipid molecule: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, through oxidation.
This is why our lungs are the “primary fat loss organs.” The oxygen we breathe in is the catalyst to oxidize the triglycerides, turning them into carbon dioxide, CO2, and water, H20. The vast majority of fat lost turns into the former.
The researchers explained that if you lose 10 pounds of fat, exactly 84%, or 8.4 pounds, is exhaled through the lungs as CO2, and the remaining 1.6 pounds in the form of water leaves the body as “urine, faeces, sweat, breath, tears, or other bodily fluids.”
@darshanshahmd Did you know you breathe out fat? 🫁 Most people think fat just disappears when they lose weight. It doesn't. When fat is metabolized, it breaks down into CO2 and water. Your lungs exhale the CO2. Your kidneys flush out the water. A 2014 study published in the British Medical Journal found that 84% of fat mass is actually breathed out through your lungs. Your lungs are literally your primary fat loss organ. Not your sweat glands. Not your digestive system. Your lungs. Did you know this? 👇🏼 #fyp #longevity #healthandwellness
♬ original sound - DarshanShahMD - DarshanShahMD
However, if you think just breathing more will help you lose weight, they warn against this as you’ll just hyperventilate. Instead, it’s just a matter of getting your metabolic rate to increase by moving your muscles. This can be as simple as doing chores around the house or standing up and getting dressed they explained in The Conversation. And ideally, you’ll take in less food, i.e. fuel, than your body needs.
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