fat. Cooling treatments,
such as CoolSculpting,
literally freeze fat cells
to death, explains
Anne Chapas, MD,
the director of Union
Square Laser Dermatol-
ogy and an instructor
of dermatology at
Mount Sinai Medical
Center in New York
City. The body removes
these damaged cells
over several months.11
heat can also
be used to elimi-
nate fat cells, says
Dr. Chapas. “Several
studies have shown that
heating fat cells above
104 degrees F for a sus-
tained amount of time
can cause the fat cells to
undergo programmed
cell death,” she says,
and be eliminated from
the body. This is themechanism used in
popular laser and radio-
frequency lipolysis
weight-loss treatments.
But just because the fat
cells are gone doesn’t
mean the weight won’t
come back. Remaining
fat cells can expand
and new fat cells can
appear after heating
or cooling treatments,
so they are not a substi-
tute for healthy diet
and exercise.12
color isn’t
the only telltale
marker of how
harmful fat might be.
For instance, excess
fat stored in the abdo-
men or around inner
organs such as the liver
and gut “releases in-
flammatory chemicals
and other molecules
that can increase therisk of heart disease,
liver disease, diabetes,
and other health condi-
tions,” notes Dr. Kahan.
In contrast, fat that is
stored in your arms,
legs, or hips doesn’t
typically do much harm.13
fat has been
linked to
brain health.
According to a study in
Neurology, people with
higher body mass
indices (BMI) and
waist-to-hip ratios had
less gray matter—the
material in the brain
that helps process new
information—compared
with their leaner
counterparts. But the
study’s authors can’t
say whether body fat
is the cause of these
differences in the brain
or a result of them. RDSimpler Times
My ten-year-old daughter: Can I go to my friend’s house?Me: Take your phone and text me every 20 minutes to tell me you’re OK.Me, when I was ten: I’m off to the abandoned quarry with my pals.Mom: Dinner’s at five.
@joeheenanReader’s Digest 13 Things
34 april 2020