Your Fat Cells Have Memory, A New Study Finds (feat. Ferdinand von Meyenn)

Do you struggle to lose weight and keep it off? It turns out, fat cells actually have a memory that can keep weight off after rapid weight loss!

In this episode of Salad with a Side of Fries, Jenn Trepeck sits down with Professor Dr. Ferdinand von Meyenn, assistant professor at the Institute of Food, Nutrition, and Health at ETH Zurich, to explore his study with the intriguing finding that fat cells encode a memory which influences the ability to maintain weight loss and therefore impacts metabolic health. They delve into his groundbreaking research on bariatric patients and mice, uncovering how fat cells retain memory and can continue to impact the body long after weight loss. Dr. von Meyenn breaks down the role of epigenetics, why GLP-1 medications don’t provide long-term effects, and the importance of proper nutrition and lifestyle when losing weight and keeping it off. They also discuss the hip-to-waist ratio versus BMI and why prevention is the most powerful tool for long-term well-being. 

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. 

IN THIS EPISODE: 

(05:27) Ferdinand’s research on fat cell memory and metabolic health

(09:21) Research findings on bariatric patients and experiments on mice

(17:28) Ferdinand defines epigenetics and GLP’s don’t give long-lasting effects

(26:06) Losing weight too quickly and the set point concept

(35:00) Weight loss is good, but proper nutrition is critical and discussion of adiponectin

(38:27) Excess energy and body fat, the hip to waist ratio, and being overweight, and the long-term consequences

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• Even after significant weight loss, an individuals' fat cells retain molecular changes (altered RNA and epigenetic markers) associated with their previous obese state. These long-lasting molecular markers in the fat cells predispose the body to regain weight as it responds more readily to an obesogenic environment.
• Weight loss significantly improves health, whether in humans or mice. However, fat cells have a form of memory, meaning that even after weight loss, some molecular changes persist. While these changes do not necessarily drive disease, they highlight the importance of sustained weight management strategies.
• Rapid weight loss, especially with methods like GLP-1 medications, can lead to muscle loss, negatively impacting metabolism and overall health. Since muscles play a key role in energy expenditure and physical stability (especially with aging), preserving muscle mass during weight loss is crucial for long-term success and well-being.

QUOTES:         

(06:59) “Many times people get bariatric surgery, and despite that being a very significant intervention that restricts how much food you take in, people lose weight for a while, and yet some recover some of that body weight.” Ferdinand von Meyenn

(13:46) “The cell predisposes these people to regain weight because their cells are signaling for the obesogenic environment that they became used to.” Jenn Trepeck

(24:53) “I think this is connected to the set point idea that people have heard of how we go about ‘losing the weight’. That might play into this too.” Jenn Trepeck.

(26:08) “If weight loss is too quick, it is also loss of protein mass, basically of muscle mass and that is really problematic.” Ferdinand von Meyenn

(32:43) “If we build lean muscle mass over time, removing fat over time, giving the body time to adapt to this metabolically healthier environment, there's the possibility of easier maintenance.” Jenn Trepeck

RESOURCES:

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