UBCO Researcher says Fats Cause Laziness

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have found that the fat people eat contributes to laziness and a predisposition to insulin resistance, which is similar to Type 2 diabetes.

Sanjoy Ghosh, a researcher and assistant professor of biology in the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences at the Okanagan Campus said the factors that motivate physical activity can be influenced by diet, and are not just inherent fixed capacities.

The lab that Ghosh researches in is called the Dietary Interventions and Better Exercise through Experimental Science Center (D.I.A.B.E.T.E.S). Here he’s been studying polyunsaturated fats (PUFA), which is a cheap fat that is in a lot of mass-produced consumer products.

Ghosh noted that the amount of PUFA in foods today could be the reason why people are so lazy. “While we have long understood the role of excess calories in the development of obesity and in turn the risk for diabetes, Ghosh’s work suggests the impact of some foods may not be that simple,” said Dr. Jan Hux, chief science officer with the Canadian Diabetes Association. “His important findings shed light of the role of certain dietary fats on the impulse to exercise — thus both contributing to the consumption of calories and inhibiting the mechanism to burn them off.”

The consumption of n-6 PUFA has spun out of control for the western part of the world, which results in an increased tissue inflammation and that will interfere with n-3’s healthy aspects. Omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which is n-3 PUFA and n-6 PUFA, should be consumed in equal measure. “Based on our research we strongly recommend that particular attention be paid to controlling dietary fatty acid levels while planning lifestyle interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour and insulin resistance in susceptible populations,” Ghosh said.

People in North America eat 10-20 times the amount of n-6 than they do n-3, mostly in refined oils.

Ghosh suggests that people start measuring exercise, voluntary physical activity, and inflammation to look at how unsaturated fats influence them personally.