About 40% of American adults live with obesity—and for many of them, it can feel like a bit of a roller coaster as their weight fluctuates.
A cycle of repeated weight loss and regain, commonly known as The yo-yo effectAccording to a new study, this may be due to a type of “metabolic memory,” where the body remembers and tries to return to its previous state of obesity.
“Obesity is a chronic condition with significant metabolic consequences, associated with various metabolic and Cardiovascular diseasesStudy author Dr. Ferdinand von Meen, assistant professor of nutrition and metabolic epigenetics at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, told Fox News Digital.
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“A well-documented observation is that the body defends against increased body weight, making weight loss and maintenance very difficult.”
A new study suggests that repeated cycles of weight loss and regain, commonly known as the yo-yo effect, may be caused by a type of “metabolic memory.” (iStock)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity is a common chronic disease in the United States, with one in five children and two in five adults meeting the criteria.
New research published in November in the journal Nature points to epigenetics (genetic activity) that may play a role in weight regain. After weight loss.
What is epigenetics?
“Epigenetics, which involves chemical markers that influence gene activity without changing the DNA sequence, is important in how cells function and respond to environmental factors,” Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, Doctor of obesity medicine At Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, told Fox News Digital.
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“These markers can be modified by lifestyle factors, such as diet, and can persist for years, effectively forming a cellular ‘memory’ of past conditions, such as obesity,” added Stanford, who was not part of the study.
It is well known that cells retain their genetic identity as they divide. Von Meen said the researchers were curious about what happens to fat cells — which live an average of 10 years before the body replaces them.
The researchers investigated what happens to fat cells, which live an average of 10 years before the body replaces them. (iStock)
This is different from cells in other tissues, which divide much more rapidly – intestinal cells, for example, typically divide every other week.
Von Meen notes that fat cells still have to adapt to external stimuli and undergo epigenetic adaptations.
The researchers set out to determine whether these changes could be reversed.
Fighting ‘memory’ in fat cells
In mouse studies, researchers found that even after significant weight loss, their cells had a “memory” of obesity encoded in the epigenome, which controls gene activity, von Meen noted.
“Our study suggests that one reason it’s difficult to maintain body weight after initial weight loss is that fat cells remember their previous obesity state and potentially Want to get back to that state.”
“The body defends against increased body weight, making weight loss and maintenance very difficult.”
“This means one has to ‘fight’ this obesity memory to maintain body weight.”
Based on this research, failure to maintain weight loss after dieting is not necessarily due to a lack of effort or willpower, but may have an underlying cause. Biological phenomenonVon Meen added.
Possible limitations
The research looked only at adipose tissue, and genetic mechanisms were studied only in mice. Nevertheless, the researchers said they believe similar mechanisms apply to humans.
However, other experts cautioned that the study only shows an association and does not prove that epigenetic changes cause the UU effect.
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“The authors point out that they cannot say with certainty that epigenetic changes directly cause people to regain their lost weight, nor do they indicate which specific Epigenetic markers It may be creating an effect,” Petronella Ravenshear, board-certified nutritionist and author of “The Human Being Diet,” told Fox News Digital.
Florida-based Ravensher, who was not part of the research, noted that the findings shouldn’t lead people to claim, “It’s not my fault, it’s my genes!”
Future research projects
“We will now need to expand, see how the memory can be erased and whether other cells or tissues are also affected. [such as] brain or liver,” Van Meen said.
It’s possible that if people maintain a healthy weight for a year or more after dieting, that may be enough time for the fat cells to erase their memory, according to Ravenshire.
One expert said that the term “diet” is in its original meaning, meaning “way of life” – but is now synonymous with short-term dietary changes that are unsustainable. (iStock)
“This finding highlights the importance of preventing obesity, in particular Children and adolescentsto avoid establishing the epigenetic memory that complicates long-term weight management,” noted Stanford.
“Further understanding of these mechanisms may lead to more effective treatment and prevention strategies, emphasizing the need for a proactive approach to weight management from an early age,” he added.
‘A way of living’
Ravenshire notes that the term “diet” in its original meaning meant “a way of life” — but now is synonymous with short-term dietary changes that are unsustainable.
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When people return to eating habits that often lead to weight gain, many experts agree.
Ravenshire quotes Professor David Benton at UK’s Swansea University, author of “Tackling the Obesity Crisis,” who shared in a recent Guardian interview, “The mantra is that diets fail. “
One expert recommends breaking your addiction to sugar and refined carbohydrates and focusing on adopting a new way of eating. (iStock)
“They fail because to avoid regaining lost weight, you need to be consistent. Change your diet”
He notes that after ending a diet, many people return to the previous lifestyle that caused the problem in the first place.
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“Frequently snacking, and eating calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods disrupts our blood sugar, spikes insulin levels and increases inflammation — and inflammation itself,” Ravensherr told Fox News Digital. “It makes it harder to lose weight,” Ravenshear told Fox News Digital.
“Eating calorie-dense, nutrient-dense foods affects our blood sugar, spikes insulin levels and increases inflammation — and inflammation itself makes it harder to lose weight,” one expert warned. The expert warned. (iStock)
She recommends breaking your addiction to sugar and refined carbohydrates and focusing on adopting a new way of eating.
Expert recommends choosing. Nutritious whole foodseating three meals a day, and fasting with nothing but water for five hours between meals.
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She notes that weight loss occurs as a side effect of balanced hormones and reduced inflammation.
“When we’re getting calories, but not the nutrients our body and brain need, we’re always hungry because our brain tells us to keep looking for food,” Ravensherr added. is.”