Scientists have discovered that fat tissue has the ability to 'remember' a person's past obesity and will resist that person's efforts to lose weight.
Obesity affects more than 1 billion people worldwide - Photo: REUTERS
According to a research team from the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (Switzerland), they identified the biological memory of fat tissue after examining the fat tissue of obese people before and after they lost weight through metabolic and bariatric surgery.
Bariatric surgery is a surgical procedure that changes the size of the stomach to reduce weight in patients with metabolic disorders associated with obesity and its sequelae.
These tissues were then compared to fat tissue from healthy people who had never been obese. The team found that fat tissue that had been obese was affected in a way that changed the way it responded to food, potentially lasting for many years, according to the Guardian on November 18.
In tests, these cells grew faster than other cells by taking up nutrients more quickly.
One reason it's difficult to maintain weight after losing weight is because fat cells remember their previous obese state and are primed to return to it, said study lead author Professor Ferdinand von Meyenn.
“Memory seems to prime cells to respond more quickly, and sometimes in an unhealthy way, to sugar or fatty acids,” says Von Meyenn.
Further research in mouse cells traced biological memory to chemical changes in DNA or the proteins that surround it. These changes alter the activity and metabolism of genes.
The researchers found that previously obese mice gained weight faster than other mice when fed a high-fat diet, suggesting that changes in their metabolism made them more prone to weight gain.
However, the memory of obesity in fat cells is not the only cause. The team suspects that a similar memory exists in brain cells that influence how much food is consumed and how much energy is expended.
"From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense. Humans and other animals have adapted to maintaining weight rather than losing weight because food scarcity has been a constant challenge throughout history," said study author Dr. Laura Hinte.
Obesity affects more than 1 billion people worldwide and is one of the most preventable causes of cancer.
This research paves the way for better weight management programs aimed at maintaining weight loss or keeping weight at a healthy level long enough for cells to erase the memory of obesity.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phat-hien-thu-pham-khien-moi-nguoi-kho-giam-can-20241120141911038.htm
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