Lose weight quickly... and not for long

Strong weight loss slows down the metabolism for a long time

Vyacheslav Golovanov, GeekTimes based on Ars Technica: Former Biggest Loser contestants fight slow metabolisms, weight gain

Scientists from the Research Institute of Diabetes and Kidney and Digestive System Diseases (USA) have published a paper in the journal Obesity, in which they share the results of observation of former participants of the reality show "The Biggest Loser" (Fothergill et al., Persistent metabolic adaptation 6 years after "The Biggest Loser” competition). According to the data obtained, fat people who have lost a lot of weight retain an abnormally slow metabolism even a few years after a sharp weight loss.

Scientists tracked the history of 14 participants of the TV show, and found that a sharp weight loss led to a significant decrease in the rate at which the body spends calories during rest. This condition persisted for six years after losing weight. This leads to the fact that it becomes harder for people to maintain a normal weight – almost all participants returned or approached their former weight.

In the description of the work, scientists hypothesize that the body specifically slows down metabolism in order to return weight to a certain constant value that it tries to maintain. If the work is recognized, this hypothesis will explain why it is so difficult to keep weight after getting rid of extra pounds.

The metabolic rates were taken from the participants immediately before taking part in the filming, immediately after filming and six years after the show. During the 30 weeks during which the show was filmed, the average participant lost 64 kg. At the beginning of filming, the participants spent 2607 ± 649 kcal per day. By the end of the process, this rate had dropped to 1996 ± 358 kcal per day. And the more the participant lost weight, the more his metabolism slowed down.

Six years after the show, only one participant had less weight than at the end of the competition. The remaining 13 gained kilograms back – five of them came close to their original indicators. And still, their metabolic rate remained low – on average 1903 ± 466 kcal per day, which is about 500 kcal per day less than the average person should have their volumes.

The researchers noted that during gastric bypass surgery, in which the working volume of this organ is significantly reduced to accelerate saturation, the metabolic rate does not change. This operation really helps to lose weight especially for problem patients, and in this case there is no special weight value that the body would strive for.

The Research Institute of Diabetes and Diseases of the Kidneys and Digestive System is part of the organization "National Institutes of Health of the USA". It is an institution of the United States Department of Health. It is the main center of the US government responsible for research on health and biomedicine problems. It consists of 27 institutes and research centers.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  10.05.2016