1. Why people gain weight as they get older?
It’s a fact that as people age, it becomes harder for them to keep their weight in check. Even if they don’t eat more or exercise less than before, most people gain weight as they age. But why does that happen? The recent study published in the Journal Nature Medicine has found the answer for you.
2. Research
According to the new research in ‘Nature Medicine’, the lipid turnover in the fat tissue (the rate at which lipid or fat in the fat cells is removed) decreases during ageing and thus makes it easier to gain weight.
3. The study
The scientists studied the fat cells in 54 women and men over a period of 13 years. In this period, all the people regardless of whether they lost or gained weight showed a decrease in the lipid turnover in the fat tissue.
The people who didn’t compensate for it by eating fewer calories gained an average of 20 per cent weight.
The study was done in collaboration with researchers at Uppsala University, Sweden and the University of Lyon, France.
4. Lipid turnover in women
The researchers also examined the lipid turnover in 41 women who underwent bariatric surgery to see how the rate affected their ability to keep the weight off post the surgery. Only women who had a low lipid turnover rate before surgery managed to increase their lipid turnover and maintain their weight loss.
5. The result
The results indicate that processes in our fat tissue regulate changes in the body weight during ageing, in a way that is independent of other factors.
More studies show that the only way to speed up the lipid turnover in fat tissue is to exercise more. This shows that long-term results of weight loss surgery would improve when combined with increased physical activity.