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Study Reveals Why It Is Hard for Some People to Lose Weight

Scientists have found that all that stubborn fat may not entirely be caused by a high-calorie diet, but by a 'memory' stored in cells.

BY GREEN MATTERS STAFF

PUBLISHED 2 DAYS AGO

An overweight woman measures her waist size with a tape and feels stressed by her weight gain. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Sukanya Sithhikongsa)

It can be frustrating to look yourself in the mirror and find that all those flaps and love handles you lost after months of controlled diet and exercise, have returned. Also known by the term “yo-yo effect,” this weight regain is often more rapid each time the fat returns. No matter what you do, it might be hard for you to lose weight long enough. But it isn’t your fault. A recent study, published in the journal Nature, has found that the real culprit is the fat cells that store the “memory of obesity,” and resist letting it go.

Woman upset over not being able to lose weight. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Dacharlie)

Weight loss is like a tug of war. Fat cells tend to resist change. Evolutionary history has programmed human bodies to store fat because, for early ancestors, food was scarce. Animals like apes, bears, and squirrels needed the bulk of fat on their bodies to use as energy for the future and to protect themselves against cold. Today, even when humans have surpassed this food scarcity dilemma, their bodies still haven’t forgotten the experiential memories of obesity. Personal and family history also play a role.

Fat tissue. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a sample of fat tissue, showing fat cells.(Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY) — Fat tissue. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a sample of fat tissue, showing fat cells.(Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library)

The new study suggests that these memories linger in these fat cells even after the person has lost weight. “And the cells, beyond simply remembering their prior state of obesity, likely aim to return to this state,” study co-author Ferdinand von Meyenn, an epigeneticist at ETH Zürich, told The Guardian. These sticky memories work deep at the cellular level and don’t let the person lose weight. And even if they succeed in losing it after an enormous hustle, the memories in these cells often lash back, sending the person into a tailspin of unhealthy choices that bounce back their weight.

Photo taken in Lampang, Thailand (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by EyeEM Mobile Gmbh) — A person standing on a weighing machine to check their weight. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | EyeEM Mobile Gmbh)

“Obesity reflects consuming more calories than you burn. When a diet removes energy, you lose weight,” David Benton, from Swansea University, told The Guardian. “However, the mantra is that diets fail. They fail because to avoid regaining lost weight you need to permanently change your diet. Most often having finished the diet, we return to the lifestyle that caused the problem in the first instance. The result is yo-yo dieting.”

Shot of smiling woman eating healthy salad while sitting on the kitchen table at home. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Nensuria) — Shot of smiling woman eating healthy salad while sitting on the kitchen table at home. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Nensuria)

In this study, the focus of researchers was “adipose tissue,” the one that stores fat. They investigated the adipose tissue in two groups of participants – one that had never experienced obesity and the other that was severely obese. When they compared the fat cells between the two groups, they discovered differences in gene activity. Some genes in the fat cells were more active and others were less active. The active genes were found to play a key role in causing inflammation and in the formation of a thick, scar-like tissue called fibrosis.

Fat woman and woman lean in comparison on gray background (Representative Image Source: Photo by Bowie15) — An overweight woman and fit woman lean in comparison on a gray background (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Bowie15)

The researchers also experimented on two groups of mice. One group consisted of obese mice while the other consisted of mice with regular weight. For a month, the team fed the same high-fat diet to both groups. To their astonishment, they found that even though the diet for both groups was the same, the obese mice tended to gain fat faster than the non-obese mice. The possibility that something similar could happen in human bodies, cannot be denied. “This is not just a lack of willingness or a lack of willpower, there’s really a molecular mechanism which fights against this weight loss,” von Meyenn told Bloomberg.

Fat cell and erythrocyte in the blood, inside the blood vessel, High quality 3d render of blood cells, cholesterol in a blood (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Ugreen) — Fat cell and erythrocyte in the blood inside the blood vessels. High-quality 3d render of blood cells. Cholesterol in blood (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Ugreen)

“On a societal level, this could offer some solace to individuals struggling with obesity,” Daniel Castellano-Castillo told The Guardian, “Struggling to keep the kilos off could be driven by a cellular memory that actively resists change.” However, the study doesn’t have to be uninspiring for those still striving to tone their shapes. Hinte asserted that it’s possible that maintaining a reduced or healthy body weight for long enough is enough to erase the memory. So, keep up with that exercise routine and diet regime even if people tell you it’s not in your genes to be slim. Ultimately, it’s not about the genes, it’s about practice!