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Obesity's immune consequences can last a decade after weight loss, study finds
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Health & Science

Obesity's immune consequences can last a decade after weight loss, study finds

From ABC Color · (9m ago) Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Obesity leaves epigenetic marks on immune cells, increasing disease risk for up to a decade after weight loss, a University of Birmingham study found.
  • These 'memory' marks cause the body to act as if it's still overweight, impairing immune functions like waste cleanup and aging regulation.
  • Researchers suggest weight loss alone may not be enough, advocating for treatments that address these lasting immune system changes.

A groundbreaking study from the University of Birmingham reveals a concerning long-term consequence of obesity: lasting changes to our immune system. Even after individuals successfully lose weight, their immune cells retain 'epigenetic memory' of the obesity, potentially keeping them at elevated risk for obesity-related diseases for up to ten years. This research, published by EF E, challenges the notion that weight loss immediately reverses all health impacts. The study highlights that DNA methylation, a process that marks genes, alters how immune cells function, hindering their ability to perform crucial tasks like clearing cellular debris and regulating immune aging. This 'molecular record' of past metabolic conditions means that the body may continue to behave as if it is still obese, even when it is not. The implications are significant, suggesting that current approaches to managing obesity may need to evolve. The findings underscore the importance of not just achieving weight loss, but also of developing interventions that can actively reverse these persistent epigenetic changes to fully restore immune health and long-term well-being. This is a critical insight for public health strategies in countries like Paraguay, where obesity rates are a growing concern.

Our findings show that obesity is associated with lasting epigenetic modifications that influence the behavior of immune cells.

— Belinda NedjaiLead author from the Wolfson Institute of Population Health at Queen Mary University of London, explaining the study's core findings.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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