How does fat break down

A very low-fat diet can also deny your body of the essential fatty acids it needs. The very first thing that happens when you eat fat? Your mouth gets happy. Think heavenly garlic-infused olive oil, for instance. There is also research suggesting we may have specialized taste receptors for the taste of fat itself, similarly to how we do for sweetness and saltiness.

This requires a good deal of finessing on the part of our digestive system. This is part of the reason why we digest fatty foods more slowly and feel like they stick to our ribs longer. The whole process kicks off in the stomach, where the enzyme lipase gets mixed in to start breaking things down, Tewksbury explains.

As your partially digested food moves along to the small intestine, various organs add different juices and enzymes to the mix, many of which are specialized in breaking down fat into smaller chains of fatty acids.

Bile acts like an emulsifier that enables fat to mix into a water-based substance, allowing it to be pulled into the bloodstream, Tewksbury explains. A bunch of processes can occur here— for example, the synthesis of the fatty acids our brain cells or other organs need.

A lot of the time, the liver is converting excess fats into a storable form, according to the Mayo Clinic. Then it has to repackage them with proteins to form special little vehicles called lipoproteins that can carry the fats to where they need to go, Tewksbury explains. On top of that, fats are the only macro that enlists the help of the lymphatic system to get into our cells. We told you fats were high-maintenance. These lipoproteins are still a little too big to be directly absorbed into the bloodstream, Linsenmeyer says, so they actually enter the lymphatic system first.

This network of vessels, which carries fluids throughout the body, runs pretty much parallel to the circulatory system and has special pathways that helps channel these bulky lipoproteins right into the bloodstream. Finally , these lipoproteins can chauffer the triglycerides throughout the circulatory system to their most common final destination: adipose fat cells throughout the body, known as adipose fat tissue, where energy is stored.

Sometimes, when the body is deprived of carbs, the liver starts breaking fatty acids down into an alternate kind of fuel called ketones—a process that is the basis of the keto diet, as SELF previously reported.

A lot of these complex mechanisms are occurring on a cellular level, and require a hefty bit of biochemistry to really flesh out. SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. Food Chevron Nutrition Chevron. Your muscles first burn through stored glycogen for energy. They also recommend weightlifting and resistance training. Increasing muscle mass may help you burn more calories and raise your basic metabolic rate.

When weight disappears, the fat has to go somewhere. Our endocrinologist explains exactly where that is. Learn more about vaccine availability. Advertising Policy. You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter.

Other factors affecting weight loss should also be taken into consideration. Fat loss is a complex process influenced by a number of factors, with diet and physical activity being two of the major ones. With a sufficient calorie deficit and proper exercise regimen, fat cells shrink over time as their contents are used for energy, leading to improved body composition and health.

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