Dunne E. Dawe wrote:

On 19 Oct 2004 09:59:56 -0700, (tcomeau) posted:


This calorie thing. By what mechanism does the body recognize an
excess of calories and by what mechanism does the body then trigger
fat storage.


Excess energy-containing molecules are detected by their presence
when all energy requirements are satisfied.

In the context of the question, I disagree with this part of your answer. The
body doesn't directly "recognize" an excess of calories to "trigger" fat
storage. After a meal, most of the fat in the meal is carried in chylomicrons
to fat cells, where the triglyceride is separated from the chylomicron and
stored in the fat cell. This is a response to the presence of chylomicrons in
the blood, rather than to an "excess of calories." Later, as blood glucose
levels drop, fat cells release fatty acids in response to increased glucogon
levels. So, _net_ fat storage is a consequence of a positive energy
imbalance, but almost all dietary fat is initially stored in fat cells
following a meal.

-Jay