The More Stored Fat, The More Weight Loss is Tough

The more fat you carry, the more the body produces a protein that inhibits your ability to burn fat, according to new research.

While weight loss is usually a longer journey for people with more weight to lose, researchers haven't necessarily understood exactly why - until now.

A protein called sLR11 acts to suppress the process of thermogenesis, which helps the body to burn fat in order to stay warm.

Mice who lack the gene for the production of this protein are more resistant to weight gain, researchers said.

The fat-storing process

In humans, the study found, the sLR11 protein was associated with total fat mass: the greater the levels of the protein, the higher the fat mass.The protein appears to prevent rapid fat burning in order to make the body more effective at storing energy over long periods of time.

"Our discovery may help explain why overweight individuals find it incredibly hard to lose weight," said Dr. Andrew Whittle, study author. "Their stored fat is actively fighting against their efforts to burn it off at the molecular level."

Drugs that block the action of this protein may help patients who need to lose weight, said Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

"But an effective medicine to treat obesity, which safely manages weight loss is still some way off," Pearson said.

Source: University of Cambridge

Image courtesy of stockimages/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Get a Free Diabetes Meal Plan

Get a free 7-Day Diabetes Meal Plan from Constance Brown-Riggs who is a Registered Dietitian-Certified Diabetes Educator and who is also a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

Just enter in your email below to download your free Diabetes Meal Plan.

By clicking Submit, you agree to send your info to BattleDiabetes.com who, in addition to 3rd party partners, may contact you with updates, products and information and we agree to use it according to our privacy policy and terms and conditions.

More Articles

More Articles

For decades people with type-1 and advanced type-2 diabetes relied on painful and often flawed insulin injections to regulate blood sugar...

Scientists have discovered that a single gene forms a common link between type 2 diabetes and...

Natural supplements like cinnamon extract and apple cider vinegar could hold the key to lowering blood sugar levels, according to a recent...

Natural supplements like cinnamon extract and apple cider vinegar could hold the key to lowering blood sugar levels, according to a recent...

Could a person's risk for type 2 diabetes be written in their genes?

According to a study recently published in ...

Women who frequently shift around their sleeping hours could have worse metabolic health outcomes than their peers who stick with a...

The presence of the hormone leptin may hinder prenatal development, which could explain the origin of type 2 diabetes, according to...

An analysis of fossilized Native American feces shows that our ancestors ate up to sixteen times the fiber that we do today, but our...

Managing diabetes is hugely challenging for people of any age, but a new study suggests that young people may suffer all the more....

Disruptions to the gut’s ecosystem could be a future symptom facing young children who take antibiotics, which makes them more susceptible...

Breastfeeding a newborn holds many benefits for mommy and baby; it reduces the baby's risk for colds and viruses, it helps his bones (and yours)...

Fans of the Dexcom G5 Mobile have something to smile about.

At yesterday's hearing with the U.S. Food and Drug...

If you start your day with a cup of tea and end it with a glass of red wine, your blood sugar may thank you.

At least that...

As medical experts continue to debate whether or not "healthy obesity" can even exist, one new study suggests that risk for heart disease...

For years, type 1 diabetics have been anxiously waiting for that medical marvel that can stop the constant injections: the artificial...