Why can burning your belly fat save your joints?  To answer this, we have to first recall how weight affects joints.

Here's what we know about being overweight and joint pain:

1) Excess body weight increases the risk of developing osteoarthritis (OA) if you don’t already have OA
2) Excess body weight increases the worsening of OA if you already have OA
3) Excess body weight is linked to a greater risk of OA even in young people
4) Excess body weight increases the likelihood of having knee replacement surgery in old age
5) Excess body weight increases the likelihood of having knee replacement surgery even in young people
6) Being overweight before age 40 increases the risk of developing OA in the future

We know that excessive force on the joint from the excessive body weight is one reason for this.  But there is more to it than just the force of extra pounds.  Belly fat is an engine of inflammation.

We used to think of belly fat as a simple storage depot, where the fat did nothing but sit there.  But today, we know that this “warehouse” image of our belly fat is far from the truth.  It turns out that the fat cells in our bellies pump out an assembly line of inflammatory chemicals every minute of every day. In fact, many doctors now view belly fat in the same way they view glands of the hormonal system.  This belly fat soup triggers inflammation throughout the body, with the joints being among their prime targets.  What's worse, as the amount of belly fat grows, the volume of inflammation chemicals increases. 

The old view of Fat Cells
 

The New View of Fat Cells
 

These chemicals are from a long line of culprits that wreck havoc on body systems from the heart, to the blood vessels, to the brain, and beyond.  Some of these chemicals have the cryptic names listed below.

IMAGE [Insert graphic of belly containing lots of fat and how the inflammatory moleclues pulsing their way to the joints of the knees, hips, and hands.]

Belly Fat Soup Goes to the Joints

There are many inflammatory molecules that make up what we euphemistically call "belly fat soup."  We'll mention just three here, because they seem to have a particular effect on joints.  They also appear to respond well to certain dietary, exercise, and supplement regimens that we have made part of our support program.  

One of the belly fat soup inflammatory culprits is called leptin.  Leptin has some import effects in the body. However, leptin levels climb as the amount of belly fat climbs.  When belly fat starts churning out too much leptin, it appears that cartilage and even bone in the joints can suffer.  This was recently reported in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, when leptin levels were measured in people with osteoarthritis.  The doctors tested for leptin levels in cartilage and in the lubricating fluid (synovial fluid) that fills the joint space.  They found that as OA got more severe, it was linked to higher leptin levels.  They also discovered something new.  Many people who get osteoarthritis develop painful bony projections around the joint known as osteophytes.  These are the classic nodules seen in OA of the hand, but they occur in any of the joints affected by OA.  These doctors found high leptin levels in these bony outgrowths, suggesting that leptin might actually trigger the formation of these bony "spurs."  Could this mean that lowering belly (and thus lowering leptin) could prevent the formation of bony spurs around joints?  This is a fascinating possibility being raised by new research. It will take time before we know the answer. [Dumond, H, et al. Evidence for a key role of leptin in osteoarthritis. Arth Rheum 2003;48(11):3118-29.]

How does one lower leptin levels?  There is now evidence that leptin can be lowered using exercise and diet to reduce belly fat.  There is also a new study conducted on a specific form of viscous fiber at the University of Connecticut.  This study showed that the compound, in conjunction with diet and exercise lowered leptin levels by ........ percent.  This was significantly better than those using diet and exercise alone.  This compound has been incorporated into the Insulite nutrition support component of our program.  See <Lowering Belly Fat>

Another ingredient of belly fat soup is called TNF, which leads to production of another substance called interleukin-1 (IL-1beta).  IL-1 beta rises when belly fat rises.  IL-1 beta is well known for causing deterioration of cartilage in joints.  It activates a set of enzymes called proteases, which destroy the cartilage matrix.  Many efforts are now being made by drug companies to find agents that slow or block IL-1. 

IL-1 is also known to be produced in nerve cells giving rise to more pain.  In fact, there is now research suggesting that IL-1 produced by nerve cells is one of the factors causing doctors to suggest that pain can cause arthritis.  In other words, a viscious loop is set up between nerves going to the spinal cord and back to the joint, in which too much IL-1beta amplifies the pain signals and the joint inflammation.

 From: http://aolsearch.aol.com/aol/imageDetails?s_it=imageDetails&query=osteoarthritis+AND+IL-1&img=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Fnrd%2Fjournal%2Fv4%2Fn4%2Fimages%2Fnrd1693-f5.jpg&site=&host=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Fnrd%2Fjournal%2Fv4%2Fn4%2Ffig_tab%2Fnrd1693_F5.html&width=135&height=107&thumbUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fimages-partners-tbn.google.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AnE7JF_C7s6cXRM%3Awww.nature.com%2Fnrd%2Fjournal%2Fv4%2Fn4%2Fimages%2Fnrd1693-f5.jpg&b=image%3Fs_it%3Dtopsearchbox.image%26imgsz%3D%26query%3Dosteoarthritis%2BAND%2BIL-1| Degenerative processes in cartilage, and potential targets for disease modification. A chondrocyte embedded in the network of collagen fibres and aggrecan is shown. IL-1 induces the expression of matrix proteases, which degrade the matrix components (shown on the right of panel a). The matrix metalloproteinases are targets with potential for disease modification. Interleukin-converting enzyme (ICE) converts IL-1 to its active form and, therefore, represents another target for disease modification. b | Nociception and possible ways of interfering with it. Inhibiting the production of the inflammatory cytokine IL-1 or blocking its receptors or interrupting its subsequent intracellular signalling through nuclear factor-B (NF-B) and the blockade of bradykinin receptors are more recent approaches to developing symptom-modifying drugs with greater efficacy than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that inhibit the formation of the pain mediator prostaglandin E₂. COX2, cyclooxygenase 2. 

See Link <How Belly Fat Soup Inflames Joints>  See http://alphaflex.com/research.html

Belly Fat Inflammatory Soup Goes Right to the Liver

Every tissue has a blood supply and belly fat is no different.  But where does the blood supply of the belly fat go?  Few people, including doctors, are aware that the belly fat drains directly to the liver.  This means that the excessive fats and the vast soup of inflammatory chemicals in belly fat drain straight into the liver.  This is a serious problem, because it severely stresses the metabolic function of the liver. In addition, the fats pumping from belly fat to the liver actually start to become stored in the liver. In respect, the liver becomes a second storage depot for fat.  The liver becomes "fatty," much like the liver in an alcoholic becomes fatty.  The term is non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH) and it is bad news. Think about this. Increased belly fat creates a liver much like that of an alcoholic--even in someone who might never have touched a drop of alcohol.

Burn Your Belly Fat, Save Your Joints

People take anti-inflammatory drugs in an effort to block inflammation pathways that relieve pain in joints.  While these drugs provide some relief, this is a little like putting up sandbags after the dike has broken.  We could argue that it may be better to cut off the flood by shoring up the dike.

As with a broken dike, belly fat supplies a steady stream of inflammatory molecules that wash across the body tissues.  Not only do some of these molecules have direct inflammatory and destructive actions, they also trigger other inflammatory cascades that harm tissues.  Burning off belly fat through diet, nutrients, and physical activity can slow the cascade of inflammatory molecules that threaten joints (and other tissue like brain, heart, and others).   So the phrase "Burn your belly fat, save your joints," should be a mantra that each of uses to inspire daily action--action aimed at slowly taking control of your joint health. 

 [ADD NEW MENU ITEM-CONTENT BELOW SHOULD BE TRANSFERRED THERE]