Just like all other mammals, Homo sapiens have a weight (fat control) system.  Obesity is caused by a malfunctioning in this system.  Since the conscious part of the brain is unaware of the hormonal-deep brain mechanisms, this conscious part assumes it is the decider.  However, if it was obesity, because of its consequences, would be rare--like other genetic disorders. 

The fat storage-metabolism-appetite regulatory system (weight regulatory system) involves over 80 hormones of which insulin, as a gateway hormone, has the greatest influence.  The western high sugar diet has mucked up this system by causing a condition known as insulin resistance (abnormally high insulin per amount of blood glucose).  Over eighty percent of the obese are insulin resistant, and those who aren’t were in the period they were gaining weight.  To keep weight off requires fixing insulin resistance and avoid the drop in metabolism typically at 2 months as a result of the hormones secreted by the adipose (fat) cells. 

Unfortunately we receive through an industry-influence information sources 2 wrong messages: 1) eat less fats thus more carbs, and 2) consume less calories than burned (eat less and exercise more).  The first caused the obesity and diabetes epidemics because of the subsequent increase in the carb sugar, mainly sucrose and HFCS (their role is explained below).  The second message, though logical, doesn’t work for long-term overweight people because their weight-regulatory system has reset to their current weight, and it will function to restore that weight by reducing metabolism and increasing appetite—even a  years after the weight has been lost, the yo-yo diet.  

Insulin has a number of regulatory functions one of which causes cells to absorb glucose when high and metabolize it, and thus stop burning fat.  The two major causes for the release of insulin by the pancreas’ beta cells are a high blood levels of glucose and the incretin hormones which are released when there are solid foods in the stomach.  Insulin stimulates receptors on cell walls to actively transport blood glucose, which then cause the responses of metabolizing the glucose and thus to stop metabolizing fat and thus store fat.  High level of glucose and fructose damages cells by a process called glycation.    If the cells don’t need more glucose, they become less sensitive to the signal on the cell wall caused by insulin, this is known as insulin resistance.  If the liver has been damage by excess fat storage and glycation, cells throughout the body become resistant to insulin.  The pancreas responds by secreting even more insulin to promote the uptake of glucose.  As a result there is a gradual gain in weight for most with insulin resistant.  Both obesity and type-2 diabetes (T2D) are caused by insulin resistance that causes excessive fat in the liver and pancreas.

The reason people become insulin resistant is the western diet which has too much fructose.  The USDA lists US consumption of sugars at 120 pounds per year, which equals 37 teaspoons of sugar per day, and half the population consumes more than the average.  Fructose (also called fruit sugar) the other half of sucrose (table sugar) is a net 15 times more reactive than glucose; it attaches to proteins in a process called glycation and this adversely affects the functions of proteins throughout the body.  In excess products from glycation overwhelms the body’s system for removing the damage.  High fructose diet is the major cause for nearly all of the chronic age related conditions (see endogenous products).  Unfortunately, fructose is only metabolized in the liver, therefore the liver has the most damage of any organ from glycation.  This damage causes the liver to become insulin resistant, and thus store excess fat.  When the store of excess fat reaches 2 to 3 pounds the liver becomes inflamed and its control of blood glucose diminishes.  In response gradually fat and muscle tissues also become insulin resistant and they too store excess fat.  (Note there are a number of ways to reduce the risk of progressing to obesity--see Part 12, Diet, section 9, or.  This excess fat in the liver is known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and over 30% of American have this condition.  A strongly associated sign is abdominal fat.  At this point those people are on the slippery slope to obesity and T2D.  Most of the excess fat is stored in the adipose (fat) tissue and muscles, but some is also stored in the pancreas; when excessive the beta cells production of insulin declines sufficiently to cause type-2 diabetes (T2D)—high blood glucose.  Causing the body to metabolizing pancreatic fat cures T2D.

The fix for a fatty liver and fatty pancreas is a very low carb diet with either short-term or alternate day fasting, or through the fast following bariatric surgery.  Fasting is how Dr. Jason Fung in his clinic cures his patients.  Because of 3 years of full-time studies of diet related topics, I know that Dr. Fung is first among scholars in the areas of obesity, diabetes, and the science relevant to their causes and fixes (links at end of paper).  As a nephrologist in his clinic he gets the worse patients, end stage kidney failure, injecting insulin, and thus they all are obese.  Even those with normal weight can be insulin resistant and have NAFLD.  They are at risk of progressing to obesity and T2D.  Prof. Lustig and other call it TOFI (thin on outside, fat on side).  A strongly associated sign of this is abdominal fat.  Those with TOFI are at increased risk for heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and other age related conditions because it is associated with extensive damage to proteins thought out the body by glycation caused by the high sugar diet.  Note:  the fix isn’t just to avoid sugar (fructose) but to burn the excess fat, and this isn’t by eating less, the yo-yo diet.  The fix is to extend fat burning which occurs when sleeping by skipping breakfast, or longer.  Fasting is easy and effective. 

The good news is that the DNA in your body is protected by the nucleus’ membrane.  The damaged cells gradually get replaced.  Healing is slow and stead, even among the elderly.  You ought to take better care of your body than your car.  Feedback is always appreciated at jerome69@sbcglobal.net.

If you are wondering why you have get the wrong messages, follow the dollars, and to confirm the above watch the documentaries and lectures—the full collection (http://healthfully.org/rh/id7.html) on YouTube.  , 130 of them, each with a brief evaluation to help you in the selection process. 

Using Google Chromecast, I cast the documentaries to the Sony stereo which relays it to my television.