Key Weight-loss Mystery Solved

New research suggests fat cells have a ‘memory'

It’s a universal truth of weight loss that even if you manage to shed some body fat, you’ll probably find it’s harder to keep it all from coming back. Why does this happen? A new study may have the answer: fat tissue retains a ‘memory’ of sorts after the cells become obese. “This is a piece of the puzzle in potentially explaining how changes in adipose tissue (body fat) occur during weight change,” Dr Ferdinand von Meyenn, assistant professor at ETH Zürich’s Department of Health Sciences and Technology, told BBC Science Focus. Von Meyenn and his team found transcriptional changes (alterations to the way our cells copy and control genetic material) in the cells of people they studied. They compared the sequences of cells within the fat tissue of people who were and weren’t living with obesity, before and after a 25% reduction in their body mass index.

 “The genes [we looked at] were so deregulated during obesity, that they didn’t return to their normal state, even at transcription level,” says von Meyenn. “The body really fights against [weight loss] and wants to return to its original weight. The adipose tissue is programmed to want to regain that weight.” This may not be news that people trying to lose weight want to hear, but von Meyenn shared hopes the findings will help to destigmatise weight fluctuations. 

“People who can’t maintain their body weight aren’t ‘weak’ people. There really is an underlying molecular mechanism driving gaining the weight back,” he said. Von Meyenn explained that the best strategies to help with global

obesity trends are preventative. “Intervention early on is really key because once you’ve gained weight, it’ll be much harder to lose it again,” he said. “So, at a societal level, enforcing healthier living measures is quite important.”

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