Why Fat Persons Can’t Lose Weight

Studying the brown adipose tissue in human body, scientists have finally discovered why fat persons can’t lose weight. The culprit is a protein called sLR11, which fights the fat burning process.

The discovery has been made by an international team of scientists from Toho University in Japan and the University of Cambridge, UK. The study has been published in Nature Communications on November 20.

Authors of the study argue that the total fat mass of a person’s body is linked to the levels of sLR11 circulating in their blood. To put it simple, the more present the protein is in your blood, the fatter you get.

Previous to this study, LR11 protein has been associated with Alzheimer’s but the, it’s soluble form (sLR11) was proved to facilitate cell migration in muscles in response to injury, which led scientists believe that it also had an important peripheral role.

Afterwards, it has been discovered that LR11 had a role in regulating the lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that regulates the supply of lipid to brown adipose tissue, coordinating its vesicular transport.

All the previous research led to the discovery of the role that sLR11 has upon the storage of fat mass.

The protein helps fat cells to fight against the fat-burning process (thermogenesis). Its levels increase in connection to the fat mass, which makes it harder for fat people to lose weight.  So fat people are caught in a vicious circle – the higher levels of protein in their blood, the fatter they get and the fatter they get, the harder it is for them to lose weight, since the sLR11 protein fights against thermogenesis.

This comes as a confirmation for millions of fat people all over the world who until know haven’t had any idea why it is so hard for them to lose weight, despite their tremendous efforts. As stated in the study, the fat already stored in their bodies is fighting actively to reject their efforts.

Study on mice showed that those mice that lack LR1 protein are protected from diet-inducing obesity.

Researchers say that even if an effective medicine that could treat obesity is far from being developed, their research takes science one step closer to the day when a simple pill will replace hundreds of hours of effort in vain.

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