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Adipose tissue retains an epigenetic memory of obesity after weight loss

nature.com

11–20 of 343 posts

Re: Adipose tissue retains an epigenetic memory of obesity after weight loss

#11
post #2

As someone who's struggled with weight loss, and have known others to struggle with it well, I think we colloquially called this "slow metabolism". It always did feel like it was easier to gain weight than lose it, especially fat weight and not muscle weight for me. I was recently sent a video about fat adaptation (basically teaching your body to be better at burning fat) by a very fit friend, but I wonder how much o…

metabolism is orthogonal . It's possible to have a fast metabolism and still be obese if you're eating at a surplus. But it's also possible people with faster metabolisms may be more successful at weight loss if already obese. So a 300-lbs person who eats 10,000 calories/day to be weight stable will find it easier to lose weight compared to to a 300 lbs person who is stable at 4,000 cal/day. This can also explain how some people lose tons of weight on GLP-1 drugs, whereas others lose less. The guy eating 10,000 calories/day will lose much more weight more rapidly owning to having a much bigger metabolic furnace, as soon as he restricts eating and his body is no longer getting 10,000 calories/day. Unfortunately, there are no studies that investigate the link, if any, with metabolism and dieting success.

Re: Adipose tissue retains an epigenetic memory of obesity after weight loss

#12

Just went trough Yo-Yo. Any good strategies on how to overcome it for good?

Yes, unfortunately. I was a world class yo-yo dieter, bouncing over 100 pounds four times, with many many lesser yos. This is, officially, a type of bulimia. I binge and diet instead of vomit. After more than five decades of that I found stability via sufficient protein, but I've lost my previous knack for losing weight. So now I'm stuck right in the middle of one of my previous yo-yos. It's better here than at the top though.

Re: Adipose tissue retains an epigenetic memory of obesity after weight loss

#13

Just went trough Yo-Yo. Any good strategies on how to overcome it for good?

If all else fails, look into GLP-1 meds. At this point ,it's not even controversial anymore and some of the social stigma is gone. it's hard enough losing weight even with medical intervention.

Re: Adipose tissue retains an epigenetic memory of obesity after weight loss

#14
post #5

> ...it is plausible that epigenetic memory could also play a role in many other contexts, including addictive diseases. Recent advancements in targeted epigenetic editing global remodelling of the epigenome provide promising new approaches. "Darn, I think I've contracted some alcoholism. Could you order me another bottle of the reset pills?"

More like "just take these GLP-1 agonists for the rest of your life". Those seem to have an effect on addictions etc. But at least when it comes to weight, people seem to put it back on once they quit. Perhaps the GLP-1 agonist is lacking an epigenetic reset button ...

Re: Adipose tissue retains an epigenetic memory of obesity after weight loss

#15
post #5

> ...it is plausible that epigenetic memory could also play a role in many other contexts, including addictive diseases. Recent advancements in targeted epigenetic editing global remodelling of the epigenome provide promising new approaches. "Darn, I think I've contracted some alcoholism. Could you order me another bottle of the reset pills?"

[deleted]

Re: Adipose tissue retains an epigenetic memory of obesity after weight loss

#16
post #14
post #5

> ...it is plausible that epigenetic memory could also play a role in many other contexts, including addictive diseases. Recent advancements in targeted epigenetic editing global remodelling of the epigenome provide promising new approaches. "Darn, I think I've contracted some alcoholism. Could you order me another bottle of the reset pills?"

More like "just take these GLP-1 agonists for the rest of your life". Those seem to have an effect on addictions etc. But at least when it comes to weight, people seem to put it back on once they quit. Perhaps the GLP-1 agonist is lacking an epigenetic reset button ...

Fat cells only turn over about 20% per year. You basically need to maintain a reduced weight for 5 years before the fat cells "forget" the higher weight.

If you come off it before that 5 years are up, yeah, you are probably expected to bounce back somewhat.

You might not need to be on GLP-1 forever, but you might need to be on it longer than people currently think.

Re: Adipose tissue retains an epigenetic memory of obesity after weight loss

#18
post #16
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More like "just take these GLP-1 agonists for the rest of your life". Those seem to have an effect on addictions etc. But at least when it comes to weight, people seem to put it back on once they quit. Perhaps the GLP-1 agonist is lacking an epigenetic reset button ...

Fat cells only turn over about 20% per year. You basically need to maintain a reduced weight for 5 years before the fat cells "forget" the higher weight. If you come off it before that 5 years are up, yeah, you are probably expected to bounce back somewhat. You might not need to be on GLP-1 forever, but you might need to be on it longer than people currently think.

Oh thanks, that 20% is a super useful statistic to keep in mind.

Re: Adipose tissue retains an epigenetic memory of obesity after weight loss

#20

The more you research/learn about obesity, the worse it is, much like smoking. One of the most depressing stats is that dieting does not get easier with time. The probability of eventually regaining all the weight eventually converges to 100%. Even if you're successful for 2 years, people still regain by year 4, 5, etc. The body never resists trying to regain the weight. GLP-1 drugs are the best hope yet.

absolutely. and yet people will still say "just eat less"! Imagine telling a person who smokes "just smoke less"
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