If you’re struggling to lose weight despite exercising regularly, you’ll be happy to hear that there’s a new study that may solve the mystery.
You may be missing a key metabolic component that prevents you from burning fat during exercise. Additionally, you may consume less oxygen while exercising. In turn, they risk weight gain, which leads to obesity and diabetes. The new research suggests there may be new ways to target obesity other than drugs aimed at reducing appetite.
Researchers from Kobe University He looked at a signaling molecule called PGC-1⍺ (“a”) involved in burning fat during exercise.
The body produces several versions of the protein, including “b” and “c”. These two have the same function as the “a” symbol molecule, they have a big difference. The variations of “b” and “c” are produced in the muscles more than 10 times during exercise. Meanwhile, version “a” does not show the same increase.
Kobe University endocrinologist Ogawa Wataru and his team hypothesized that molecules “b” and “c” are responsible for energy metabolism during exercise. That is, they help you burn fat during exercise.
For the experiment, they created mice that do not have the “b” and “c” signal molecules, they only work on the “a” variant. They then measure muscle growth, fat burning, and oxygen consumption in three phases: rest, short-term exercise, and long-term exercise.
Additionally, they recruited volunteers with and without type 2 diabetes for the same test. People who are obese and have type 2 diabetes may have reduced levels of the signaling molecule.
The researchers found that the mice without the “b” and “c” molecules could not quickly adapt to short-term exercise. Therefore, you consume less oxygen and burn less fat during and after exercise.
Scientists have found similar conclusions when studying human volunteers. Both healthy subjects and people with type 2 diabetes consume more oxygen and produce more “b” and “c” proteins with less body fat.
However, the study found that long-term exercise may benefit people who only produce “a” protein. Regardless of whether they could produce the “b” and “c” proteins, mice who exercised regularly developed more muscle after six weeks of training.
Interestingly, the researchers discovered another important function of the PGC-1⍺ protein and its variants. It can affect the way subjects respond to cold.
This time, they observed PGC-1⍺ changes in adipose tissue. When the mice were exposed to cold, they produced more “b” and “c” proteins, which helped them burn fat to keep them warm. Animals that were unable to make “b” and “c” proteins had a significantly lower body temperature when exposed to cold.
This finding seems to indicate that the “b” and “c” versions of the signaling molecule can trigger metabolism in response to all kinds of short-term stimuli, not just exercise.
The main takeaway concerns the ability to burn fat during and after exercise.
“Anti-obesity drugs that suppress appetite have recently been developed and are increasingly being used in many countries around the world,” Ogawa and his team said. press release.
But there are no drugs that treat obesity by increasing energy expenditure. If a substance is discovered that increases the ‘b’ and ‘c’ versions, this could lead to the development of drugs that improve energy expenditure during or without exercise. Such drugs can treat obesity independently of dietary restrictions.
The full study is available. in Molecular metabolism. The researchers are now studying how “b” and “c” proteins increase in muscles during exercise.