If you need another reason to give up sodas, candy bars and other sugary treats, here it is. According to the experts at the Mayo Clinic, you can grow new fat cells.
In a recent study, 28 volunteers were fed oversized candy bars, high calorie, sugary drinks, ice cream shakes, and basically, anything else they wanted, for an eight-week period. Researchers measured body fat and fat cell size before and after the eight weeks of overeating. On average, participants put on 5.5 lbs. of upper body fat and 3.3 lbs of lower body fat.
According to the study, not only did existing fat cells increase in size around the abdomen, new fat cells were added in their hips and thighs. The distinction between the fat cell growth and size is important, they said, because once fat cells are maxed out, excess fat goes to the liver and muscles where it can lead to metabolic diseases.
The good news is, once the volunteers stopped overeating, they lost the weight quickly.
And here’s another reason to hit the gym - when you burn more calories than you consume, your body uses fat (triglycerides) for energy. This causes your fat cells to shrink. By building lean muscle, you will boost your metabolism, helping to keep your fat cell population under control.
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