Nutrition
Fat Burning Explained
Fat burning is a dual metabolic system where carbohydrates and fats compete for oxidization. You can optimize this process through strategic nutrition and targeted micronutrient supplementation.
Nutrition
Fat burning is a dual metabolic system where carbohydrates and fats compete for oxidization. You can optimize this process through strategic nutrition and targeted micronutrient supplementation.
Line items
Fat burning remains a mystery to many. Yet the core principle is straightforward to understand. Let's break it down today.
The Basics
The cell employs a "dual system" to generate energy. It can oxidize either carbohydrates (glucose) or fats (fatty acids). That's it.
Both metabolic pathways complement each other to meet energy demands. But they also inhibit each other—the biochemical mechanism behind this is called the Randle cycle, named after its discoverer Sir Philip Randle (1963).
Here's how it works: When carbohydrates flood in, fat burning slows down. When fats flood in (for example, through excess weight or fasting), carbohydrate burning is suppressed.
This leads to two simple principles:
Keep in mind: Even if someone eats few or no carbohydrates, they automatically consume more fat, because in these scenarios the body releases more fatty acids from fat tissue—and that's what reaches the cells.
So, what does this mean for us?
Most people aren't efficient at burning fats. Research shows that people in Switzerland consume more than 50% of calories from carbohydrates, with 90% of these being especially fast-burning ("inferior") carbohydrates—sugar, white flour, and the like.¹
These cause particularly poor effects on fat metabolism due to the massive surge in blood sugar and insulin.
The result: Fat metabolism atrophies, and the cell increasingly develops a "carbohydrate addiction." Later, the doctor calls it insulin resistance, diabetes, dyslipidemia, or simply: excess weight.
This knowledge, of course, can work to our advantage. It could look like this:
And so on… This is exactly how we reach our goal: we train the cell to oxidize more fats again. Here too, a pattern naturally develops, so your body becomes increasingly efficient at drawing from its fat stores.
"Wait, hold on!"
Oops. We almost forgot something, didn't we? Fat burning especially requires functional mitochondria—cellular "power plants" where fats are burned. In many people, these are damaged, and they did it themselves.
Fat burning requires, for example…
Choline stands out especially. When animals lack dietary choline, their liver becomes fatty and tissues generate insufficient energy—meaning fats accumulate and aren't burned adequately. [source no longer available]
Studies repeatedly show poor micronutrient status in Switzerland.² Like most other substances needed for good fat burning, choline is found primarily in animal products, with eggs leading the way.
Speaking of eggs: they make rats slimmer in a dose-dependent manner.³ It could partly be due to their high choline concentration.
The Plan
We naturally developed [source no longer available]. With 20,000 clicks after 1½ years, it should be one of our most-read articles. Might be interesting for you too.
But be warned: a common mistake is equating "high fat burning" with "high fat loss." That's, of course, nonsense. Good fat burning helps you burn more body fat and increases the likelihood that you'll lose body fat.
If, however, you're eating under a low-carbohydrate diet but stuffing yourself with fats and eating more than your energy needs, you won't lose fat either. Your fat balance needs to be negative. ;-)
