Losing Fat with Liposuction Does Not Improve Cardiovascular Health

BBE084Liposuction continues to be one of the leading methods for permanent fat removal, and is generally not recommended for extensive weight loss.

However, many patients undergo liposuction to lose excess weight and make natural weight loss easier.  Individuals who are between 10 to 30 pounds overweight may benefit from a liposuction procedure that gets rid of fat cells permanently and reduces their weight to a healthy level.

However, few people will actually improve their cardiovascular health from doing so.

According to Matica Haeaner, M.A., getting rid of fat cells does not necessarily mean that the body becomes healthier.  Fat cells secrete hormones that play a role in insulin sensitivities, appetite and the metabolism.  In 2007, the journal Obesity Reviews also identified the first fat hormone and proteins that are present within the cell, which means that the body must undergo several chemical changes to accommodate for these compounds and they directly affect the endocrine system.

A 2008 report in the Obesity journal also supports the theory that overall health does not improve with liposuction: “A 2008 study in the journal Obesity monitored formerly obese women who had had liposuction that resulted in a 20-pound loss of fat. An initial study looked at 15 of these women about 10 weeks after the lipo. Despite losing around 16 percent of their total body fat, and around 23 percent of their abdominal fat, there was no improvement seen in their coronary disease risk factors such as insulin resistance, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and insulin sensitivity.” (Source: MSN Health)

What this means is the body is in a different state when it has stored fat cells, and that when these fat cells are simply sucked out with liposuction, the body will now be out of balance.  One of the ways it can correct this imbalance is to start restoring the ‘lost’ fat by depositing fat elsewhere in the body.  It is not uncommon for individuals who get liposuction to remove abdominal fat, find that they are gaining weight around their hips and thighs.  The ‘set point’ theory about body weight may also support the fact that fat will be stored outside of the treated site so that the body can maintain its natural equilibrium.

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