Research indicates that a fat cell's "memory" of past obesity influences its response to food, which may be the reason why maintaining weight loss is a challenging task.
Following a prolonged period of a successful diet and regular physical activity.
The study, published in Nature, revealed that fat cells have a biological "memory" of past obesity, endeavoring to restore this state.
Research indicates that it wasn't the quantity of fat cells that changes when a person gains weight, but how existing fat cells store nutrients.
This "obesity memory" can persist for years after a person has lost weight, making them more susceptible to regaining weight again.
According to our research, one obstacle to maintaining weight after an initial weight loss involves overcoming a lingering effect. "To maintain one's weight, one must effectively counter this residual influence," stated Ferdinand von Meyenn, a co-author of the study and director of a group at the ETH Zurich's Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health.
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The researchers discovered these "fat cell memories" by analysing fat tissue from people who underwent weight loss surgery, comparing it with fat tissue samples from those who had no history of obesity, taken before and after the surgery.
Specific genes in the fatty cells of obese individuals were significantly more active than in those of non-obese individuals, and these changes persisted even after the onset of weight loss following surgery.
This led researchers to determine that molecular memory in fat cells originated from epigenetic changes to the genome.
Changes to epigenetics occur when our genes are influenced by the world around us - indicating that swift weight gain isn't necessarily inherited but can also be a result of the events we experience over a lifetime.
Fat cells primed with long-term, equation-based memory store nutrients in a unique manner
Studies conducted by the group further showed that fat cells from mice with obesity behave differently compared to those from mice that are not obese.
"In mice, we noticed that previously overweight mice regained their weight more quickly when fed a high-calorie diet. We've discovered similar indirect evidence in humans, as well," stated Dr. Laura Hinte, who co-authored the study and specializes in nutrition and metabolic epigenetics at ETH Zurich.
It appears that the memory of obesity triggered these fat cells to grow faster and absorb more nutrients.
Dr. Penny Ward, a medical specialist at King's College London, stated: "This reveals why so many individuals observe that it takes less time to regain the weight after ceasing to diet than it did initially to become overweight."
Researchers in Zurich conducted an experiment where mice were put on a diet to see if it would reduce their body weight. They discovered that this obesity-related memory persisted and the mice regained weight at a faster rate than those in the control group.
Ms. von Meyenn stated in an email to profitratecpmthat the environment could be connected to regaining body weight after dieting.
Overcoming the natural tendency towards weight gain through evolutionary adaptations.
The authors believe that other factors located in various parts of the body likely also play a role in the tendency for individuals to alternate between weight loss and weight gain.
An obesity memory in fat cells cannot alone account for the rapid weight gain," said von Meyenn. "If comparable mechanisms also exist in brain cells that regulate food intake, for example, this could help explain why weight often rapidly returns after weight loss.
From an evolutionary standpoint, this makes sense. Humans and other animals have adapted to defend their body weight rather than lose it, given the historical prevalence of food scarcity.
This might bring reassurance to people struggling with obesity, as it implies that challenges in keeping weight off are not solely due to a lack of self-control or motivation, but rather to a cellular mechanism that opposes change.
How long do fat cell memories last after liposuction?
The researchers stated that it is plausible that the memory of fat cells diminishes with the passage of time; however, the duration of this phenomenon is not well defined.
"We looked at a timeframe of two years in humans and eight weeks in mice, and even within that time frame, we found that changes in the cells of adipose tissue persisted. It is conceivable that these effects may be reversed over a longer period of weight maintenance," Hinte explained to profitratecpm.
Human fat cells typically last for approximately 10 years, suggesting it may take up to 10 years for any association between cells and obesity to fully dissipate.
that could cause fat cells to "forget" their preference for storing nutrients.
Ward suggested it may be feasible in the future to reconfigure body fat so that weight does not rebound once subjects conclude a diet or discontinue weight loss medication.
"However, it is still a significant step to take these findings and then create and test potential treatments to reverse these changes," Ward mentioned via email to profitratecpm.
Maintaining a reduced or healthy body weight for a prolonged period may be enough to erase the memory, but further study is required to confirm this.
Edited by: Zulfikar Abbany
Primary source:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08165-7
Author: Fred Schwaller
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