Doctor shares the truth about obesity: 'It is not the disease but the body's...'

A physician recently turned to social media to challenge common misconceptions surrounding obesity and explain what is really happening inside the body. Posting on X, Dr Shraddhey Katiyar highlighted that excess weight is often misunderstood as the root cause of illness, when in reality it functions as a protective response. According to him, obesity is not the disease itself but the body’s final coping mechanism when the metabolic system is under constant strain.

The core issue, he explained, is metabolic overload. When a person consistently consumes more calories than the muscles can effectively process, especially when muscle cells stop taking in glucose efficiently, the body faces a serious dilemma. It can either allow fats and sugars to remain in circulation, where they can injure vital organs, or it can package and store this excess energy inside fat tissue to reduce harm.

Fat cells, therefore, are not pointless or passive. They act as safety vaults. Their primary role is to absorb surplus glucose and fatty acids, keeping them away from sensitive organs such as the liver, pancreas, heart, and skeletal muscles. This buffering system explains why many individuals live with obesity for long periods while maintaining normal blood sugar levels. This condition is often referred to as metabolically healthy obesity, a state that is not truly healthy but temporarily balanced.


Problems arise when the storage capacity of fat tissue is exhausted. Once fat cells can no longer contain the excess, lipids begin to accumulate in organs where they do not belong. Fat infiltrates the liver, the pancreas, and muscle tissue, disrupting their function. This is the stage at which diabetes typically emerges.

Dr Katiyar emphasized that diabetes is not determined by the total amount of fat in the body, but by its distribution. This explains why some lean individuals develop diabetes early in life, while some heavier individuals remain unaffected for years. In those protected cases, fat tissue was still acting as a shield.

He also warned against extreme dieting. Rapid weight loss releases large amounts of fatty acids and stored toxins into the bloodstream, which can temporarily worsen insulin resistance. Instead of battling fat, the focus should be on rebuilding metabolic flexibility through muscle strengthening, improving sleep patterns, reducing insulin surges, and allowing longer, stress-free intervals between meals.

When metabolic health improves, fat loss occurs naturally. The body releases stored fat only when it perceives stability and safety. Fat, he concluded, is not the villain but the emergency responder. Resolve the underlying fire, and the responder quietly steps away.