Approximately 40% of American adults are obese. For many, it can feel like a roller coaster where your weight fluctuates up and down.
This is commonly known as the cycle of weight loss and weight loss. yoyo effectNew research suggests this may be due to a type of “metabolic memory” in which the body remembers its previous state of obesity and attempts to return to it.
“Obesity is a chronic disease with significant metabolic effects and is strongly associated with various metabolic and cardiovascular diseases,” said study author Ferdinand von, assistant professor of nutrition and metabolic epigenetics at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.・Dr. Mayen told FOX News Digital.
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“There is a well-documented observation that the body tends to defend against weight gain, making it very difficult to lose weight and maintain it.”
The cycle of weight loss and weight gain, commonly known as the yo-yo effect, may be due to a type of “metabolic memory,” a new study has found. (St. Petersburg)
Obesity is a common chronic disease in the United States, affecting one in five children and two in five adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The new study, published in Nature in November, suggests that epigenetics (gene activity) may play a role in weight regain after weight loss.
What is epigenetics?
“Epigenetics, which includes chemical markers that affect gene activity without changing DNA sequence, is important in how cells function and respond to environmental factors,” says the Obesity Professor at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. says Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an internist. he told FOX News Digital.
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“These markers can change due to lifestyle factors such as diet, can remain stable for years, and can effectively create a cellular 'memory' of past conditions such as obesity. Yes, you can,” added the Stanford professor, who was not involved in the study.
It is well known that cells maintain their genetic identity even when they divide. The researchers were interested in what happens to fat cells — which live for an average of 10 years before being replaced in the body, von Mayen said.
Researchers investigated what happens to fat cells, which live for an average of 10 years before the body replaces them. (St. Petersburg)
This differs from other cells in tissues, which divide much faster. For example, cells in the intestine typically divide every other week, he added.
Von Mayen pointed out that adipocytes still have to adapt to external stimuli and undergo epigenetic adaptation.
The researchers set out to determine whether these changes could be reversed.
Fighting the “memory” of fat cells
In a study of mice, researchers found that even after significant weight loss, the mice's cells had a “memory” of obesity encoded in their epigenome that controlled the activity of genes, said Fong.・Mr. Mayen pointed out.
“Our research shows that one of the reasons why it is difficult to maintain weight after initial weight loss is that fat cells remember their previous state of obesity and are likely trying to return to this state. '' he told FOX News Digital.
“The body tends to protect against weight gain, making it very difficult to lose weight and keep it off.”
“This means that you need to 'fight' this memory of obesity in order to maintain your weight.”
Based on this study, von Mayen said, failure to maintain weight loss after dieting is not necessarily due to a lack of effort or willpower, but may also be caused by underlying biological phenomena. added.
Potential limitations
This study focused only on adipose tissue, and the genetic mechanisms were studied only in mice. Still, the researchers said they believe a similar mechanism applies to humans.
However, other experts cautioned that the study only shows an association and does not prove that epigenetic changes cause the yo-yo effect.
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“The authors noted that they cannot be certain that epigenetic modifications directly restore people's lost weight, nor can they pinpoint which specific epigenetic markers are causing this effect.” , said Petronella Ravensia, certified nutritionist and author of The Human. I'm on a diet,'' he told FOX News Digital.
Florida-based Ravensia, who was not involved in the study, said the results should not lead people to say, “It's not my fault, it's my genes!”
Future research plans
“We now need to expand to see how memories are erased and whether other cells and tissues are also affected. [such as] The brain or the liver,” von Mayen said.
Ravensia says that maintaining a healthy weight for a year or more after dieting may be enough time to erase the memory of fat cells.
The term “diet” originally meant “a way of life,” but it has now become synonymous with unsustainable short-term dietary changes, one expert said. (St. Petersburg)
“This finding highlights the importance of preventing obesity, especially in children and adolescents, to avoid the establishment of epigenetic memories that complicate long-term weight management,” Professor Stanford said. .
“Further understanding of these mechanisms may lead to more effective treatments and prevention strategies, and highlights the need to proactively approach weight management from an early age,” she added. .
“How to live”
Although the term “diet” originally meant “a way of life,” it has now become synonymous with short-term, unsustainable dietary changes, Ravensia points out.
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Many experts agree that you often regain the weight you lost when you return to the eating habits that caused you to gain weight in the first place.
Ravenshire quoted Professor David Benton of Swansea University, UK, author of Tackling the Obesity Crisis, who said in a recent interview with the Guardian: “The mantra is that diets fail.''
Some experts recommend focusing on cutting your dependence on sugar and refined carbohydrates and adopting new ways of eating. (St. Petersburg)
“They fail because they have to permanently change their diet to avoid regaining the weight they lost.”
After finishing the diet, many people return to their previous lifestyles that caused the problem in the first place, he noted.
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“Snapping frequently and eating high-calorie, low-nutrient foods can disrupt blood sugar levels, increase insulin levels, and worsen inflammation. Inflammation itself can make it harder to lose weight.” Ravenshire told FOX News Digital.
“Eating foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients disrupts blood sugar levels, increases insulin levels, and worsens inflammation. And inflammation itself makes it harder to lose weight,” says one expert. I warned you. (St. Petersburg)
She recommends focusing on breaking your addiction to sugar and refined carbohydrates and embracing new ways of eating.
Experts suggest choosing nutritious natural foodsI eat 3 meals a day and fast on water only for 5 hours between meals.
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Weight loss occurs as a side effect of hormonal rebalancing and lowering inflammation, she noted.
Ravensia added: “When you're getting the calories but not the nutrients your body and brain need, your brain is triggered to keep looking for food, so you're always hungry.”
