A Mechanism Behind the Yo-Yo Effect

 

The yo-yo effect in dieting is something that has been observed for a long time- someone tries to lose weight but gains it all back right after the diet. Recently, scientists have discovered a mechanism behind the yo-yo effect that could help explain why it occurs. By analyzing fat cells from overweight mice and of mice that lost weight through dieting, it was revealed that obesity leads to characteristic epigenetic changes in the nuclei of the fat cells. These changes were found to have remained even after the loss of weight, where the cells remember the overweight state and find it easier to return to it. The mice with those epigenetic markers were able to gain the weight back faster when they resumed a high fat diet. A similar study was carried out on humans and the results were found to be consistent with the mice study.

In my opinion, this is a study that has produced useful information. By discovering a mechanism for why the yo-yo effect occurs on the molecular level, we can better understand how and why it occurs in humans. We could perform more research on this topic in order to potentially develop strategies to prevent it from happening to people who are trying to lose weight and keep it off. This study could have many benefits for many of these people.

Studies found that chemical compound promotes healthy aging

    

    A recently discovered chemical compound helped elderly mice with obesity lose fat and weight, add muscle and strength, reduce age-related inflammation and increase physical activity.

    BAM15, a mitochondrial uncoupler, helps to prevent obesity, or age-related muscle loss accompanied by an increase in fat tissue. As people change, muscle mass becomes more of a concern. They become less active, which increases the chances of falls, strokes, heart disease, poor quality of life, and premature death. It is not so much of a concern in young kids because they are still active when they are young, which helps to maintain the muscle mass.

    In this study, mice were tested with the BAM15 supplement, and they were found to have a decrease in weight, yet still an increase in muscle mass and strength. BAM15 works by making the mitochondria less efficient, resulting the mitochondria to burn more energy. This can be useful in helping the aging age better and healthier, for long-lasting lives. 

Related Article

Weight Control: Will Power or Genetics?

 

    In the New York Times article "This Genetics Mutation Makes People Feel Full - All the Time", The research of the relationship between the MC4R gene and weight control is explored. The author of this article writes about researcher Dr. Sadaf Farooqi, professor of metabolism and medicine at the University of Cambridge, and her colleagues, who have done extensive research on the effect the MC4R gene has on weight control. Farooqi found that while most people with MC4R mutations tend to be severely overweight because they rarely feel full, some people have a MC4R mutation that makes them rarely feel hungry.

   This mutation keeps the MC4R gene turned on, while other MC4R mutations keeps the MC4R gene turned off. This proves that the cause of weight gain is more rooted in biological factors than most people realize. It's not always about self-control, it can also depend on genetic factors that people don't have any control over. Regardless, this issue needs more research done, but this means that there could be all sorts of drugs made to control hunger and satiety, to help with these genetic mutations.

Additional Links

https://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/obesity/89476