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Wednesday, 11th September 2019
As the years roll by, most people struggle to keep the weight off as staying lean becomes more difficult. Well it turns out that there’s some science behind this as some scientists have revealed the cause of weight gain as we age.
Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that lipid turnover in the fat tissues, which is the rate at which fat cells are removed and stored, actually decreases during ageing. This can make it a lot easier to gain weight, even if you aren’t eating more or exercising any less than usual.
In the study, the researchers studied the fat cells in 54 men and women over an average period of 13 years. Their analysis revealed that all 54 participants showed decreases in lipid turnover in the fat tissues. Participants who didn’t compensate for this by eating less calories gained weight by an average of 20%.
Professor Peter Arner, an author of the study, said: “The results indicate for the first time that processes in our fat tissue regulate changes in body weight during ageing in a way that is independent of other factors. This could open up new ways to treat obesity.”
Previous studies have shown that one way to speed up lipid turnover is to exercise more, highlighting that physical activity could be the key to keeping weight off with age. Kirsty Spalding, another of the study’s main authors, said: “Obesity and obesity-related diseases have become a global problem. Understanding lipid dynamics and what regulates the size of the fat mass in humans has never been more relevant."