In mice fed a high-fat diet, repeatedly losing and regaining weight did not change the levels of glucose, triglycerides, or free fatty acids in the blood after fasting.
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
When mice cycle between eating less and eating normally on the same high-fat diet, they end up eating less overall, so their fat cells stay small and their fat tissue doesn’t grow back fully. Because their fat tissue stays smaller, the fats and sugars in their blood stay at normal levels, even...
Most probable mechanism
When mice eat the same high-fat food but go through cycles of eating less and then eating normally again, they end up consuming less food overall over time. This means their bodies burn more fat than they store, so their fat cells stay smaller and their fat tissue stays lighter. Because their fat tissue doesn’t grow back to normal size, the hormones and fats that come from it — like leptin, glucose, and triglycerides — stay at normal levels, even after gaining and losing weight multiple times. This is why their blood sugar and fat levels don’t get worse, even though they keep cycling weight. This pattern was seen in mice studied in 10.3390/nu9101149.
Repeated cycles of calorie restriction followed by ad libitum re-feeding result in a persistent reduction in cumulative daily energy intake without altering energy expenditure or food efficiency, as measured by lower total food consumption over the experimental period in weight-cycled mice compared to controls.
Chronic lower energy intake creates a sustained negative energy balance during restriction phases, leading to mobilization of stored lipids from white adipose tissue and preventing full restoration of fat mass during re-feeding phases.
Reduced lipid accumulation in adipocytes results in smaller adipocyte size and lower mass of epididymal and perirenal white adipose tissue, without loss of lean mass.
Smaller adipose tissue mass leads to reduced secretion of leptin and other adipokines, which correlates with stable circulating levels of free fatty acids, triglycerides, and fasting glucose due to maintained adipose tissue function and insulin sensitivity.
Evidence from Studies
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