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When You Burn Off That Fat, Where Does It Go?

We talk about burning off fat, and it does burn in a way, going through a complex biochemical process. But mass can't be created or destroyed, so the atoms that made the triglycerides that plumped up the love handles have got to be somewhere... Yes, we exhale lost fat. There it helps plants photosynthesize (if you're feeling noble) and contributes to global warming (if you're feeling guilty). Exhale more CO2, and you'll lose more weight — especially if you're exhaling more frequently because you're running. The relatively small amount of water produced by fat metabolism could be disposed of through urine, sweat or other bodily fluids, the authors note.

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Featured

  Lipid Metabolism

Fat, which is synonymous with lipids, plays an important role in our cells to maintain homeostasis. Lipids generate ATP and are involved in the synthesis of vitamins, hormones, bile salts, eicosanoids, and cellular membranes, as well as the regulation of cellular signaling. Cholesterol and phospholipids are essential components of membranes within the cell. The anabolism and catabolism of lipids is compartmentalized. Anabolism primarily occurs in the cytosol and endoplasmic reticulum, whereas the catabolism primarily occurs in mitochondria.

Previously Featured

Burn, baby, burn: the new science of metabolism

In mid-August, a paper emerged in the journal Science that appeared to challenge one of metabolism’s universal truths. For decades, scientists have accepted that metabolism begins to slow down in early adulthood, initiating a steady descent that continues through middle age and later life, inevitably resulting in the phenomenon known as “middle-aged spread”. But this may not actually be true.

Facts about Fats: New Insights into the Role of Lipids in Metabolism, Disease and Therapy

Although initially regarded as a passive system to store energy, lipids are now considered to play crucial, structural and functional roles in almost all the biological processes involved in the regulation of physiological and pathological conditions. For instance, they are pivotal constituents of cell membranes, where they essentially contribute to the assembly of the bilayer configuration. Lipid species are not uniformly distributed in cell membranes...

Global Trends of Lipid Metabolism Research in Epigenetics Field: A Bibliometric Analysis from 2012–2021

Most common diseases are characterized by metabolic changes, among which lipid metabolism is a hotspot. Numerous studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between epigenetics and lipid metabolism.

How brown fat improves metabolism

Brown fat breaks down blood sugar (glucose) and fat molecules to create heat and help maintain body temperature. Cold temperatures activate brown fat, which leads to various metabolic changes in the body. Most of our fat, however, is white fat, which stores extra energy. Too much white fat builds up in obesity. Researchers have been working to harness brown fat’s activity in order to treat obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders.

Lipid Metabolism Contributes to Intellectual Disability

A research team has demonstrated that there is a lipid metabolism enzyme that regulates the activity of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPC) throughout an individual’s life. Previously, researchers understood that altered NSPC activity and neurodevelopmental defects were linked to intellectual disability. This new study, published in Cell Stem Cell, showed for the first time that an enzyme, known as fatty acid synthase (FASN), specifically may be responsible for causing cognitive deficits.

Lipids around the Clock: Focus on Circadian Rhythms and Lipid Metabolism

Disorders of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and transport are responsible for the development of a large spectrum of pathologies, ranging from cardiovascular diseases, to metabolic syndrome, even to tumour development. Recently, a deeper knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that control our biological clock and circadian rhythms has been achieved.

Lipoprotein Metabolism

This review will highlight the cellular and molecular function of lipoprotein metabolism, how it is useful in diagnostic testing, its role in disease pathology, and its clinical significance.