5 years ago
Ep.19 – The science of fat with Dr. Ariane Pessentheiner
Why do we get fat? Is obesity a disease? What about inflammation?

In this episode, I speak with Fat Cells Researcher, Dr. Ariane Pessentheiner. We talk about how obesity is technically a disease, how chronic inflammation is really bad for you, and how there’s no such thing as “burning fat”. Dr. Pessentheiner is a researcher in Austria who is now devoting her time to the communication of science!
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Timestamps:
- Moving during a pandemic (0:00:37)
- Dr. Ariane’s work as a biochemist (0:01:46)
- What are fat cells, and what do they do? (0:02:33)
- Is there such a thing as a ‘slow metabolism’? (0:04:12)
- Myths and misconceptions about fat and obesity. (0:05:46)
- Top three reasons people gain weight. (0:06:52)
- Obesity is a disease. (0:10:06)
- There’s no current market solution for food addiction (0:11:32)
- Epigenetics and obesity (0:12:44)
- The socio-economic factors of obesity (0:15:35)
- Do different foods affect fat cells the same way? (0:17:23)
- Trans-fatty acids (0:19:55)
- What is Dr. Ariane’s specialty? (0:22:29)
- Type 2 Diabetes (0:24:18)
- Diabetes and obesity (0:26:00)
- Fat cells and inflammation (0:27:33)
- Communication between organs during imbalance of metabolism (0:28:34)
- Inflammation is serious (0:30:20)
- Sleep deprivation is a big factor in obesity (0:32:40)
- Metabolic diseases (0:34:43)
- What’s the difference between fat burning and fat storage? (0:35:37)
- Advertisements that say “burn fat!” (0:37:40)
- Personal connection to her research (0:39:12)
- Does Dr. Ariane enjoy being a scientist? (0:41:37)
- Imposter syndrome in science (0:45:15)
- Dr. Ariane’s other passion is art! (0:48:50)
- Creativity in the arts, and in science (0:50:41)
- Dr. Ariane’s long-term ambitions (0:53:15)
Follow Dr. Pessentheiner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArtSci_ARP Dr. Pessentheiner on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ariane_Pessentheiner
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