Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-10-03
SCIENCE Of GROWING FAT.
Obesity Easy to Explain. but Very Hard
tn, mt

Obesity Easy to Explain, but very HARD
to Prevent.
DR.. Edrar Thompson translates
from L'Union Med. for Tho Medical
| Review tho foll0vin ing as to the cause
of obesity AS Il General rulo, obesi.
ty ia more '!equo., in cold climates
than in lni Tho inhabitants of the
extreme forth "re very fat from
the great absorption of fatty foods,
oils, etc. This superabundance Of
food with Ito increasing use of al
cohol ard u more indoor life is favor
ablc the p reduction of fat The
inhabitants of tho torrid zone, who
| live CT II scnrt fruit diet and exer.
else consi.i.tly in the open air, rarely
fatton.
All authorities agree that alimen-
tation plsv- II stcoMg rolo in obesity,
but tho r.liions MS to the particular
foods are ,ct unanimous. In the
normal r'.;rition tho fats intro
duc,rl il the alinentary canal are
broken t., into glycerin and fatty
acids. and tho greater part is oxi-
died in the organism, body heat
resulting from the combustion. The
small amount which escapes i'm
mediate combustion accumulntes in
tho various sues and constitutes
a reserve which can DO utilized
when the supply Of fat from with
out fails. II the amount of foods
is superIbIndant, or il their oxi-
dation is incomplete, tho equilib.
rium will ho lost. and tho fat will
accumulate in tho cellular tissues,
causing obesity.
Tho ino;dinate Uso of Albuminoids
can contrihU:o to obesity. Lean
meat gluttonS got fat In the physi.
ology of nutrition the albuminoids
can bo transformed into derivatives
MontiMl with fats and hydrocar-
'bons. These fatty bodies arise when
moro albuininoids are present than
can be completely oxidizctl into urea,
otc. Tho surplus is completely oxi-
died into tho fats.
Fat can Glso be formed from by.
drocarbonS (suears). One part is OK
idized i'll tho organism, while the
rest is transformed into fat (Liebig).
Scion BeauniZ explains the for,na.
ton of fat in connection with hydro
carbons in different way. He sug.
gests that the hydrocarbons are not
changed into fat at all; but, being
moro easily oxidizcd than the fat in
foods, they will be taken up for CON-
bustion in preference to the latter,
and all of tho ingested fat will there
fore accumulate unchanged, produo-
ing obesity.
Theauthor concludes that all kinds
of foods can produce fat. Beverages
can influence the depositing of fat.
1t is generally admitted that water
takon in large amounts favors cor
pulency. Dancel's treatment of
obesity is to limit the water drank
by the patient. The alcoholic obese
bloat is proverbial. Alcohol causes
the accumulation Of fat by limiting
its oxidation. The alcohol acts as an
easily oombustible food and displaoes
tho fatty foods by reason of its great
er affinity for oxygen. This habit
can BIO n cause of obesity.
Lack of muscular exercise binders
the oxidation Of the fats as we'll as
the other nutritive metamorphoses.
Sedcntary habits have similar ef-
feot. In the female, obesity has a
close connection with certain phases
of genital life. Some women fatten
Immediately after marriage, others
'becoinG obese after pregnancy, 9th.
ers still after the menopause.
Frequently obesity develops from.
an accidental cause. Change from
IN active to u sedentary life pro-
notes it. Sometimes it occurs after
all acute febrile disease, as pneu-
monia and typhoid fever. All those
nutritive changes which hinder the
oxidation of fats promote obesity.