The seven deadly (cellulite-producing) sins - Part 2

Continued from: The seven deadly (cellulite-producing) sins - Part 1

4. Binge eating (and drinking)

Overeating, especially in combination with inactivity" upsets the calorie balance in your body and can lead to excessive deposition of fat into your fat cells, including the "cellulite layer" fat cells.

Mild calorie imbalance would not normally be a significant cellulite-causing factor, as your body can adjust it's metabolism to accommodate for a few extra calories. Or, alternatively you could make up for mild overeating one day by exercising on the same or another day.

However, with serious overeating, or bingeing, things are different. When you consume, for example 500 or even 1,000 calories more than you need on a single day, you body has no other option than to dump those excessive calories straight into your fat cells, especially your hip and thigh cellulite-layer-fat-cells. In Part 1 of this article, we described how these fat cells acts as a fat trap due to action of estrogen.

Binge-eating becomes worse when it is combined with consumption of sugary foods, inactivity and the contraceptive pill (excessive estrogen), as we also explained in Part 1.

As you have probably guessed, binge-drinking is similar in it's effects to binge eating, but much worse. However, even medium alcohol consumption (especially beer or cocktail consumption) is in itself a cause of cellulite, but not as important as binge-drinking or binge-eating are. You can read more on that below...

5. Smoking

Smoking is indeed a cause of cellulite, but not as important as the above four factors. Smoke components cause oxidative damage and inflammation on the skin and the blood/lymph vessels, thereby impairing circulation and lymph drainage and deteriorating the quality of skin collagen and elastin. Since connective tissue deterioration, poor circulation/lymphatic drainage and inflammation are major causes of cellulite, it is easy to understand why smoking is so bad for cellulite.

However, these effects manifest after years of smoking. In the first few months or years, smoking seems to have the opposite effect on cellulite, as it decreases appetite and also reduces the absorption of fat by the fat cells, thereby inhibiting the enlargement of the cellulite fat cells.

So, in summary, we can say that smoking initially prevents the formation of cellulite as it prevents fat accumulation. However, in the long run (that can be months or years, depending on each person), smoking exacerbates cellulite by damaging the blood vessels and the connective tissue.

 

6. Alcohol

Alcohol is very similar in it's effects to sugar, in that it provides the body with potentially cellulite-causing excess calories, plus the means to guide these calories straight into the fat cells. This is because alcohol metabolites are preferentially used by the body as a fuel source, leaving the carbohydrates and fats to be stored as fat in the fat cells. Alcohol also increases appetite, tires the liver, reduces energy levels, and in the long run causes water retention and poor circulation (after an initial diuretic and blood vessel-dilating effect).

When combined with sugars (as in beer and cocktails) these effects are magnified. Predictably, when alcohol combined with hormonal contraception, inactivity, overeating and smoking things become even worse.

Alcohol would be much higher up on this list if it's use was as widespread as that of sugars. For young women, who tend to drink more, alcohol is in fact a major cause of cellulite.

 

7. Hydrogenated/fried fats and oils

The effects of hydrogenated fats and oils (also known as trans fats) and fried fats and oils are now very well described by science. These oils and fats act as toxins and cause inflammation and oxidative damage, thereby impairing the function of almost all cells and tissues in the body. In this way, hydrogenated/fried fats and oils indirectly contribute to cellulite formation.

A more direct contribution, of course, comes from the excess calories that these fats and oils carry and from the damage these "foods" inflict on connective tissue, blood vessels and lymphatics. Cellulite can be defined as a combination of excess fat, poor circulation/lymphatic drainage, connective tissue deterioration, inflammation and toxin infiltration, and as you can see trans fats and fried oils tick all the boxes...

When trans/fired fat consumption is combined with sugar, alcohol, smoking, bingeing, contraceptives and inactivity cellulite seems to be inevitable. This is why cellulite is so prevalent today and this is why I have spent three hours writing this article today. Quality cellulite creams and treatments do help fight cellulite but they have to be combined with preventative measures against the above seven cellulite causes for maximum efficacy.