Protein Inhibits Body's Ability To Lose Weight In People With More Fat

People with higher amounts of stored fat may have more difficulty losing weight, according to a recent study.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and Toho University in Japan found that certain fat cells produce a protein that actually inhibits weight loss, signaling the body to hold onto fat.

"Our discovery may help explain why overweight individuals find it incredibly hard to lose weight. Their stored fat is actively fighting against their efforts to burn it off at the molecular level," said study author Andrew Whittle, in a news release.

During the study, researchers found that Slr11 binds to fat cell receptors to prevent the activation of thermogenesis--a process of burning energy that produces heat and that occurs in fat cells known as brown adipocytes.

"We have found an important mechanism that could be targeted not just to help increase people's ability to burn fat, but also help people with conditions where saving energy is important such as anorexia nervosa," added lead researcher Toni Vidal-Puig. "The fatter we are, the more our body appears to produce a protein that inhibits our ability to burn fat, suggests new research. The findings may have implications for the treatment of obesity and other metabolic diseases." 

The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.

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