Where Does Your Fat Go?

Picture by Hey Paul Studios from Flickr

Most people will say converted to heat or converted to energy when asked about where the fat goes when you lose weight.

That was what I thought too.

Well, I did until I read that it wasn't so. According to scientists, the lungs play an important role in weight loss too, as most of it is exhaled as carbon dioxide.

In biomedical terms, people trying to lose weight are trying to use the triglycerides stored in fat cells. In order for the triglyceride molecules to be used, they must be broken down into oxygen, carbon and hydrogen via oxidation. While tracing these atoms' leaving the body, researchers found that they leave mostly as exhaled carbon dioxide.

If you lose 10 kilograms (or 22 pounds), 8.4 kilograms are exhaled as carbon dioxide according to researchers calculations, The remaining 1.6 kilograms become water and may be excreted in the urine, sweat, faeces, breath, tears and other body fluids.

The researchers' calculations showed that the lungs are the primary excretory organ for fat.

Now you know.

Reference

Meerman R and Brown A (2014). When Somebody Loses Weight, Where Does The Fat Go? BMJ. DOI: http//dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g7257

At least they are riding their fat away ...... on fat tyres
Picture by Jereme Kauckman from Flickr.