Studies show that some types of fat are more tolerant of weight loss

Scientists planned what would happen to fat deposits during an intermittent fast (every two days) and made the unexpected discovery that certain fats are more tolerant of weight loss.

In a mouse study, Australian researchers mapped what happens behind the scenes of adipose tissue during an intermittent fast, cascading dramatic changes depending on the type of fat deposition and its location around the body. Showed to cause.

Researchers at the University of Sydney have used state-of-the-art equipment to put fat around the stomach, which can accumulate in the human “protruding tummy,” into a “preservation mode” that adapts over time. I found it to be more resistant to weight loss.

The survey results are published at Cell reports.

A research team led by Dr. Mark Larans investigated the types of adipose tissue in different locations to understand the role of adipose tissue during fasting every other day when food was not consumed every other day.

The types of fat that have changed include the “abdominal” fat of the internal organs, which is the adipose tissue surrounding our organs, including the stomach, and the subcutaneous fat that is just below the skin and is associated with better metabolic health. Was included.

“Most people will think that all adipose tissue is the same, but in fact, the location makes a big difference,” said Dr. Larans, senior author of the Charles Perkins Center at the University of Sydney and the Department of Life Sciences. It was.

“Our data show dramatic changes in both visceral and subcutaneous fat during an intermittent fast,” said Dr. Larans, a future researcher at the New South Wales Cancer Institute. I will.

Why Visceral Fat Can Resist Weight Loss

During a fast, adipose tissue provides energy to the rest of the body by releasing fatty acid molecules.

However, researchers have found that visceral fat becomes resistant to the release of this fatty acid on an empty stomach.

There were also signs that visceral and subcutaneous fats increased the ability to store energy as fat and were likely to rapidly reconstruct fat stores before the next fasting period.

Dr. Larans said the repeated history of fasting periods may have triggered the conservative signaling pathways of visceral fat.

“This suggests that visceral fat can adapt to repeated fasting attacks and protect its energy storage,” he said.

“This type of adaptation may be the reason why visceral fat can resist weight loss after a long diet.”

Dr. Larans said the use of mouse models is a useful analog prior to human studies.

“Mice have similar physiology to humans, but metabolize much faster, allowing us to observe changes faster than in human trials and examine tissues that are difficult to sample in humans,” he said. Told.

Future studies in mice and humans may shed light on the mechanisms by which this resistance develops and what types of diets and other interventions may be best for tackling tummy fat.

Map the internal workings of fat deposits

The team used a technique called proteomics to examine more than 8,500 proteins in fat deposits and cataloged the changes that occurred during intermittent fasting.

Proteomics-Research on All Proteins-A relatively new field of study named after genomics (research on all genes) is how proteins react under certain conditions (intermittent fasting in this case). Monitor.

The results provide a rich data source to help draw a more complete picture of the inner workings of adipose tissue.

It was through proteomics that the research team was warned about the major cellular changes caused by intermittent fasting, and after further analysis, emphasized the mechanism of visceral fat preservation during operation.

The study was conducted using the Sydney Mass Spectrometry instrument at the Charles Perkins Center, which is part of the University of Sydney’s core research facility.

Dr. Larans said the results of intermittent studies may not apply to various diet regimes, such as a 5: 2 diet (fasting 2 out of 7 days) and calorie restriction, which is common in people who want to lose weight. It states that there is something to be aware of.

The results are the basis for future research that will help analyze the molecules responsible for why visceral fat is resistant to fasting energy release and determine which diet plan is most beneficial to metabolic health. To build.

This kind of research is made possible by these new devices that allow us to “see the other side of the streetlight.” This creates a hypothesis. I knew I could find something, but I didn’t know what I could find. “

Dr. Mark Clarins, Chief Researcher, Charles Perkins Center, University of Sydney and Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences

“Since we have shown that the” tummy fat “of mice is resistant to this diet, the big question is to answer why and how to best tackle it. “