More than half of Germans are overweight. According to nutrition expert Golo Willand, one of the reasons for this is so-called fattening substances. They cause diseases such as diabetes, inhibit the metabolism and stimulate the appetite. This prevents us from losing weight.
Even though you exercise enough and eat healthily, you just can’t seem to lose weight? Perhaps you’re consuming fattening substances without realizing it – so-called fattening substances.
Health journalist Golo Willand has been studying nutrition for many years. He has come across various substances that have been proven to inhibit metabolism, stimulate insulin production and thus the build-up of fat deposits. In short: they make you fat. Willand refers to these substances as “fattening substances”.
Golo Willand has been writing about medicine and nutrition as a journalist for 20 years. In 2011 he was awarded the Felix Burda Award for an article about colonoscopies. He also offers lectures, fact-checking and background research on questions relating to medicine and nutrition.
The term “fattening agents” originally comes from animal fattening. Certain substances are mixed into the feed of slaughtered animals so that they eat more and gain weight faster. But fattening agents can also be found in ordinary foods.
“Fattening substances are substances that manipulate the metabolism in such a way that a much larger proportion of the energy consumed goes into fat deposits than normal. This means that energy is withdrawn from consumption,” explains Willand. “This withdrawal from consumption leads to an increase in appetite and the food consumed does not fill us up. This is one of the main reasons why we eat too much. Fattening substances cancel out normal satiety and enable massive fat accumulation.” Willand calls these effects the “fattening effect.”
“Fattening substances: Unmasking and eliminating the insidious metabolic brakes” by Golo Willand
In his research, Willand focused particularly on research into fructose and fruit sugar. He also came across other foods that can damage the body and metabolism in a similar way. The nutrition expert classifies the following six groups of fattening substances:
Although glutamate occurs naturally, it is added to many foods as an additive. “Glutamate is known as a flavor enhancer, but it is much more of an appetite enhancer,” explains the nutrition expert. “Studies show that when glutamate is added to food, we eat a lot more of it.”
Be careful: In the list of ingredients it is often hidden behind the terms “yeast extract”, “flavouring”, “seasoning”, as well as behind the abbreviations “E620” to “E625” and its boosters “E626” to “E635”.
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Glutamate is found in many ready-made products and spice mixtures; it is often used to flavor chips, sauces and soups.
“Fructose is not a nutrient, our body doesn’t need it at all,” explains Willand. “It is mostly converted into fat and glucose by the body, and it also strongly stimulates the production of uric acid – this promotes the fattening effect.”
In addition to the fat-building fructose, fresh fruit also contains plenty of vitamin C. The antioxidant stops fat buildup, so fresh fruit is very healthy and can even help you lose weight. However, the longer fruit is stored, the less vitamin C it contains. Willand therefore advises against eating overripe fruit.
Fructose is used as a fattening agent in jam, syrup, dried fruit, juices and dressings.
Sweeteners usually have very few calories, often no calories at all. Those who drink Diet Coke instead of the normal, sugary version hope to lose weight. “But that doesn’t work,” explains the nutrition expert. “Although sweeteners may initially save sugar, some sweeteners still give the brain the signal to release insulin. This causes blood sugar to drop rapidly, which in turn fuels appetite and cravings.”
Other sweeteners would reduce energy consumption, disrupt the intestinal flora or reduce the level of the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. “This also has a fattening effect,” explains Willand.
In addition to diet products, sweeteners are also found in chewing gum, confectionery, desserts and ice cream.
We need glucose as an energy source for our brain. “However, in the wrong combination, it also becomes a fattening substance itself,” warns Willand. The main food source of glucose is starch from grains or potatoes. However, if this is eaten too dry, without sufficient water content, the body can convert a large part of the glucose it contains into the fattening substance fructose.
“The trigger is the sudden loss of water from the body,” explains Willand. “With snacks like crackers and chips, this fattening effect is increased even further by the generous addition of the water-thief salt.” But glucose from rice cakes, crispbread and toast is also too dry. On the other hand, pasta, bread and, of course, potatoes still contain considerable amounts of water for healthy use.
“Carbohydrate-rich foods do not provide enough magnesium to burn the energy they contain. This is then stored instead,” explains Willand. Therefore, they should be combined with vegetables if possible, as they provide plenty of magnesium. This is even more important with white flour products that are low in minerals.
To prevent blood sugar levels from rising too quickly, bread and pasta should be combined with fat. This slows down glucose absorption. A little acid has an even greater effect. That’s why you should prefer sourdough bread.
“If, on the other hand, blood sugar levels rise sharply, we release a lot of insulin. Then the glucose is converted into fat instead of being burned,” explains the nutrition expert. “This means that the brain loses the glucose as an energy source; there is practically no conversion back.” The blood sugar level then drops again, we feel a craving for something sweet – and the vicious circle starts all over again.
Problematic glucose is not only found in snacks and sweets such as chocolate, biscuits and cakes, but also in rice cakes and yeast bread.
“Proteins on their own don’t make you fat,” explains Willand, “it depends on the ratio of amino acids contained in a meal.” Milk, especially whey, but also pure grains contain too much of the amino acid leucine. This strongly stimulates insulin secretion and displaces the amino acid tryptophan at the blood-brain barrier. We then produce too little serotonin and develop an insatiable appetite for carbohydrates.
For example, if you drink milk with your meal, your body automatically goes into fattening mode – and produces three times as much insulin – so that the carbohydrates you consume are sent straight to the fat deposits. The amino acid composition in cheese is much better. A slice of salmon or roast beef on your bread also balances out the imbalance in the grains.
Fresh milk, breakfast cereals with milk and legumes are particularly high in leucine.
“AGEs are extremely unhealthy compounds made of proteins and sugar,” explains Willand. The abbreviation stands for “Advanced Glycation Endproducts”. Fructose in particular reacts very readily with proteins, for example when frying in a pan, browning and roasting substances are produced. “These are particularly tasty, but they are also particularly inflammatory.”
Silent inflammation in the body increases the aging process and insulin resistance. This means that far more insulin is produced than the body needs. “This means that the food energy migrates back into our fat deposits.”
According to Willand, AGEs are responsible for the popularity of fast food. “Everything is made to contain AGEs,” he explains. “But we also produce AGEs at home when we fry meat or bake cheese in the oven.”
AGEs are found in crispy melted cheese, baked and fried meat, and fried eggs.
“Don’t be afraid of the fattening substances,” says Willand. “It’s always a question of quantity. Reducing is enough, more is not possible. But to do that you have to know the fattening substances.”
To reduce AGEs, for example, he advises: “Marinate your meat with lemon juice and herbs before cooking. These not only give it a good taste, but are also rich in valuable antioxidants.” Then you should fry the meat briefly and then deglaze it with wine and let it simmer. “Chicken thighs braised in this way contain less than a tenth of the AGEs compared to chicken nuggets from a fast food restaurant.”
To avoid the fat-building effect of fructose, Willand recommends eating fresh fruit instead of overripe fruit, fruit juice and jam. “It’s best to eat fruit as a dessert or with a snack, not on its own. This way, the body can burn the energy it contains straight away. Fresh or cooked vegetables are also virtually fattening-free.”
Willand also explains: “Soft drinks and juices, on the other hand, are real fatteners and should only be consumed as an exception, if at all – and then slowly and preferably as a drink with a meal.” Better thirst quenchers are water and unsweetened tea.
Eating a healthy diet is not only important for looking slim and good. It is also essential for our health. Being overweight is often accompanied by concurrent diseases such as diabetes. This makes the figures given by the German Obesity Society all the more alarming:
The body mass index (BMI) is used to estimate body fat percentage. To calculate it, body weight is compared to height. The BMI is calculated from the quotient of body weight and height squared (kg/m). It is the basis for assessing weight classification:
You can calculate your BMI, for example, at the German Obesity Society.
