A leaking gut could be the shocking secret that is keeping you fat, according to international obesity & lifestyle medicine expert, Professor Garry Egger.
Best known for the men’s diet program, Gut Busters, Prof Egger says the gut may still have a central role in the obesity puzzle.
“Advances in scientific knowledge must change the way we look at obesity. We all have between two and four kilograms of bacteria in the gut but when you get fat, the composition of the gut changes dramatically,” Prof Egger said.
“When we get fat we develop a porous gut lining, which means you can then store energy at a much greater level. So one calorie becomes 1.5 calories. You eat the same amount of food as someone who’s not fat, but you store it more,” he said.
“So somebody who’s been fat and lost weight is always more likely to get fatter again than somebody who’s never been fat in the first place.”
Prof Egger will discuss these new theories at the 2013 Australasian Academy of Anti-Ageing Medicine Conference in Melbourne on August 24-25.
Themed Obesity & the Metabolic Syndrome: An Integrative Practice, the 2013 Conference will feature world leading experts in obesity, metabolic disorders and related diseases.
Prof Egger, a best-selling author and renowned researcher, will educate health professionals on emerging science in the field of obesity and metabolic disorders.
After decades in the industry, Prof Egger says health professionals need to stop blaming individuals and focus on changing social and family environments.
“If you live in an obese environment it’s very hard to change your behaviour. We have ready access to high calorie food and every new device is helping us to sit still more often,” Prof Egger said.
For more information on the 2013 Australasian Academy of Anti-Ageing Medicine Conference, visit www.a5m.net.