A new study has found that fat cells have memory that significantly contributes to obesity. The study was published in the journal Nature and was conducted by researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. The researchers found that obesity causes specific epigenetic changes in the nucleus of fat cells and that this remains the same even after diet. This may explain why a person regains the weight they lost within a few weeks. weight loss,

The team of researchers was led by Ferdinand von Meyen, professor of nutrition and metabolic epigenetics at the university. They found that “fat cells remember the overweight state and can more easily return to this state.”

For the study, the team first analyzed fat cells from overweight mice and mice that had lost their excess weight through diet. Their findings showed that mice with these epigenetic markers regained weight more quickly when they again had access to a high-fat diet.

According to a report in The Guardian, researchers identified the biological memory after examining the fat tissue of obese people before and after weight loss following bariatric surgery. The tissues were compared with fat from healthy individuals who were never obese.

The analysis showed that obesity affected fat cells in a way that changed their response to food, possibly for years. In tests, cells grew faster than others by absorbing nutrients more quickly.

Epigenetic markers play an important role in determining which genes are active in our cells and which are not. The study found that this mechanism works in a similar way in humans.

Ferdinand von Mayen said, “Our study suggests that one reason it is difficult to maintain body weight after initial weight loss is that fat cells remember their previous obese state and possibly aim to return to this state. Keeps.

“Memory primes cells to respond rapidly, and perhaps even in unhealthy ways, to sugars or fatty acids.”

The easiest way to combat this phenomenon, Von Meyn said, is to “avoid being overweight,” especially for children, youth and adults. Researchers show for the first time that “fat cells contain epigenetic memory of obesity”. However, the team said fat cells may not be the only ones with this ability.

The researchers noted that the findings suggest that cells in the brain, blood vessels or other organs may also have the ability to remember and contribute to the effects of obesity, an area that could be explored further.

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