Many factors lead to the frustrating cycle of weight gain and weight loss — but the driving force may be fat cells keeping a memory of obesity.
That’s according to a recent study that was first published in the journal Nature last fall.
Researchers say that fat cells influence abnormal metabolic pathways in the body long after pounds are shed, which could make it more likely for people to regain weight.
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The team of Swiss scientists were curious whether regaining weight after slimming down is due to "metabolic memory," where the body remembers and strives to return to its former state of obesity.
They analyzed chemical markers on fat cells in mice who were fed a high-fat diet. Next, when the mice were fed only a standard meal, the researchers analyzed their fatty tissue after they had lost weight, according to the study write-up.
The team then compared these samples to a lean mice group that was fed a standard meal to see if the chemical markers on the fat cells were associated with unhealthy changes in the body.
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The mice on the high-fat diet continued to have unhealthy changes in their metabolism after losing weight, including more difficulty in regulating sugar metabolism, more inflammation and abnormal fat storage.
Mice who were previously obese gained weight faster compared to the control group after they ate a high-fat diet — suggesting a continued impairment in metabolism after losing weight, the researchers found.
The study also looked at human samples, analyzing how the genes in fat cells can lead to unhealthy changes in the body as they did in mice.
The researchers analyzed the fatty tissues of participants before and after they underwent bariatric surgery, comparing them to the fatty cells of lean individuals who did not have a history of obesity.
In obese individuals, the genes from fat cells continued to function abnormally in the body, leading to more inflammation and metabolic problems two years after losing weight.
One limitation of the study is that it only looked at one type of cell – fat cells. More research is needed to determine whether other cells or tissues in the body also keep a memory of being overweight, the researchers acknowledged.
Fat cells indeed have a memory of being obese, which can make it easier to regain weight and stay in a state that promotes inflammation and metabolic issues, confirmed Gretchen Zimmermann, registered dietitian and vice president of clinical strategy at Vida Health, a virtual obesity care provider. (She was not part of the study.)
"This recent research suggests that after someone loses weight, their fat cells don’t fully go back to 'normal,’" Zimmermann told Fox News Digital.
But while biology plays a critical role in obesity, it’s not everything, she cautioned.
"A complex mix of genetics, biology, environment, psychology, medications and social determinants all shape obesity," Zimmermann said.
Healthy habits can counteract the genetics that promote weight gain.
Ideally, the expert said, this entails getting a combination of physical activity (including strength training), a sufficient amount of protein and fiber, and phytonutrients from plants that counter oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, according to Zimmermann.
"Keep moving, eating real food and building muscle," she said.
"These behaviors reduce inflammation, improve blood sugar control, contribute to a healthy microbiome and protect metabolism — even if weight doesn’t drop much or stays the same."
For some, however, the underlying issue may lie in epigenetics, which involves how a person’s behaviors and surrounding environment influence how genes work in the body, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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"Obesity is a chronic relapsing condition that has an epigenetic cause," Dr. Caroline Apovian, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women's Hospital, told Fox News Digital.
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People who are more prone to storing calories may have a harder time losing weight and keeping it off through diet and exercise, compared to those who may have an easier time, according to Apovian, who was not involved in the study.
Fox News Digital reached out to the study authors for comment.
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