Dr. Lucilla Gatta is a nutrition biologist who collaborates with the LILT center in Frosinone to provide nutritional advice for cancer prevention, she talks to us about cellulite, explaining the causes and how to reduce its presence.
Cellulite is an unwanted friend that all women have in common, the sex most affected.
In reality, what is commonly defined as a blemish is nothing more than an inflammatory process, which affects the subcutaneous adipose tissue , which in medicine is called "hemato-fibrosclerotic panniculopathy" .
It mainly affects the area of the thighs and buttocks , but also of the knee , and is caused by an alteration of the microcirculation , which involves a difficulty in venous return .
The evolution of this inflammation can be divided into stages .
At first there is an accumulation of fluids at the interstitial level (edema) caused, as mentioned before, by a difficult venous return . As this edematous state increases, so does the stagnation of toxins .
Gradually micronodules are formed, which make metabolic exchanges even more difficult, up to the point that these micronodules increase in size (macronodules) becoming recognizable even with a simple palpation . It is in fact a fibrotic state of the connective tissue, due to the inflammation present.
The causes of cellulite are different. Surely a bad lifestyle , characterized by incorrect nutrition , obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are among the main causes.
Among the causes, to name a few, we then have cigarette smoking, the use of oral contraceptives , a genetic predisposition , the use of too tight clothes and / or high-heeled shoes , poor posture .
We can fight cellulite both with physical activity and by resorting to specific aesthetic treatments and the constant use of equally specific cosmetic products , but also and above all at the table.
- It is good to drink a lot of water, the canonical 2 L of water per day.
- Consume fruit and vegetables , alternating between a cooked vegetable and a raw vegetable. The ideal is to vary. Only in this way can we bring to our body the various vitamins and minerals it needs
- Eliminate, or otherwise limit, alcohol .
- Limit the consumption of carbonated and / or sugary drinks , as well as nerve drinks such as tea or coffee .
- Limit the consumption of foods rich in fat , sugar and salt
- Limit your consumption of table salt
Another small tip, in order to promote venous return , is to avoid staying in the same position for too long and sleeping with your legs slightly raised .