Mark Mahoney, Guest columnist Published 4:00 p.m. ET Aug. 17, 2020

Replace some saturated fats from palm oil and butter with a variety of mono-and polyunsaturated fats, mainly from sources like canola, olive, sunflower, and soybean oils and from fish.(Photo: Mike Ewen/Democrat)

As a follow-up to my column of Aug. 4, this column addresses some additional concerns relevant to consider when one is overweight or obese.

The focus is on providing some basic information on issues related to excess weight which may provide some positive insight and spur us on to focus on the potentially adverse consequences of doing nothing.

A focus on a healthy lifestyle can go a long way towards improving our quality of life. Not knowing (or choosing not to know) is not a sufficient excuse for not taking action based upon evidence-based or best practices interventions.

The three points addressed here are as follows:

Salmon bathed in olive oil and herbs with greens and salad. is rich in bone-fortifying calcium and Vitamin D.(Photo: Katie Workman, AP)

An interesting study (some have call it the muffin study) was devised to evaluate whether some fats in food were more likely to end up as harmful visceral fat than as less-harmful subcutaneous fat.

Lean individuals ate, on average, three muffins per day on top of their usual diet (750 more calories a day than needed).Half of the participants got muffins made with saturated a fat (palm oil) while the other half got muffins made with a polyunsaturated fat (sunflower oil).

After seven weeks both groups had gained the same amount of weight (about 3 and one-half pounds).

However there was a difference.Those consuming the muffins made with saturated fat had gained more visceral and liver fat. The other group who consumed the muffins baked with unsaturated fat had less visceral fat accumulation and had actually gained more lean tissue.

The bottom line (according to the author of the study, Ulf Riserus, Associate Professor of nutrition and metabolism at Uppsala University in Sweden) is to replace some saturated fats from palm oil and butter with a variety of mono-and polyunsaturated fats, mainly from sources like canola, olive, sunflower, and soybean oils and from fish.

Soda can be a source of unwanted sugars in the diet.(Photo: Tori Schneider/Tallahassee Democrat)

Excess liver fat is a sign of trouble according to Kimberly Stanhope, a researcher at the University of California, Davis.It is associated with an increased risk for insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and liver damage.

Although we do not know if increased liver fat is the cause or the result of insulin resistance, it can cause damage, Stanhope notes.The prevalence of fatty liver is going up in both adults and children.

A Danish study in 2012 illustrates the detrimental nature of the obesity epidemic.

Overweight or obese individuals who were told to drink a liter a day of sugar-sweetened cola accumulated more liver and visceral fat than those told to drink a liter a day of milk (which had the same number of calories), diet cola or water.

According to Stanhope, More studies are needed but it appears likely that sugars increase liver fat.

Professor Walter Willett of Harvard University notes that, Many misleading stories based on deeply flawed analyses have suggested that its okay to put on some pounds during midlife. But its not a good idea at all.

He co-authored a study that tracked roughly 93,000 women and 25,000 men from midlife to their later years. Even modest increases in weight between entering adulthood and age 55 were related to a higher risk of the many outcomes that were looked at.

Women who gained only 5 to 20 pounds after age 18 had a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, obesity-related cancers, gall stones and severe arthritis compared to women whose weight was stable.

Men had to gain more weight before their risk of most problems arose.Those who gained from 5 to 20 pounds after age 21 had a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.Although the gain in weight may not show up as health problems by age 45 to 55, that is a strong predictor of how healthy youll be from that time on.

Willet recommends a goal of staying as close as you can to what you weighed around age 20.If you see your weight creeping up even by five or so pounds, thats something to be concerned about, according to Willet. Its not just because those few pounds add some risk but, more importantly, that youre on track to gain even more weight.

If you dont do something that increase is going to continue and by the time you get to 50 or 55, you can end up with a very large and very serious gain in weight, according to Willet.

As we continue to face the coronavirus pandemic, make it your goal to learn more about the role of saturated fats, sugars and other factors contributing to excess weight gain.

There is compelling evidence to demonstrate the negative consequences for our health when one is overweight or obese.

Make sure you consult reliable sources of health/nutrition information, which is evidence-based and focuses on best practices. If needed, check with your primary health care provider (and following CDC guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic) to discuss a potential consultation with a qualified health professional, preferably a dietitian or nutritionist who is the most knowledgeable, well-trained specialist in this area.

Early recognition and being proactive is the best course of action for living a healthier life and improving its quality. Thanks to Center for Science in the Public Interest for much of this content.

Additional Information

A good overall resource from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the health effects of overweight and obesity is atcdc.gov/healthyweight

A good description on how fat cells work can be found at science.howstuffworks.com

A short explanation of abdominal fat and an explanation of visceral versus subcutaneous fat is athealth.harvard.edu

Mark Mahoney(Photo: Mark Mahoney)

Mark A. Mahoney, Ph.D. has been a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist for over 34 years and completed graduate studies in Nutrition & Public Health at Columbia University. He can be reached at marqos69@hotmail.com.

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Dig into the facts of excess of fats, sugars and pounds | Mahoney - Tallahassee Democrat