New research out of the Karolinska Institute has found that lipid turnover in the fat tissue – or the rate at which fat in the fat cells is removed and stored - decreases during ageing. This makes it easier to gain weight, even if we’re eating as well and exercising just as often.
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The scientists analysed the fat cells in 54 men and women over an average period of 13 years. By the end of the trial, the lipid turnover in the fat tissue had decreased in all of the participants, regardless of whether they had seen any change to the number on the scale. The findings established that those who didn’t compensate for this by consuming fewer calories, gained weight by 20 per cent on average.
“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,” the study’s author, Professor Peter Arner, explained. “This could open up new ways to treat obesity.”
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