Our newest paper is out! Adipose tissue retains an epigenetic memory of obesity after weight loss

We discovered why keeping off weight is so challenging - fat cells retain an epigenetic memory of their previous state, even after weight loss. This memory may play a role in the long-term challenges of weight maintenance and potentially contributes to the yoyo-effect.

18.11.2024

Read
Number of comments

This project began with a simple question: Can adipose tissue “remember” obesity? Our findings reveal that it can — and this memory may play a role in the long-term challenges of weight maintenance.

Using single-nucleus RNA sequencing on both human and mouse adipose tissue, we found that cells retain transcriptional signatures even after significant weight loss. In mice, adipocytes retained an epigenetic memory of obesity imparted via histone marks and chromatin accessibility. Adipose tissue thus seems primed for an obesogenic state, “remembering” past obesity.

This is one of the first studies to demonstrate that specific cell types can retain an epigenetic memory of a prior metabolic state. This finding has profound implications for our understanding of obesity, weight loss, and weight maintenance. On a societal level, this could offer some solace to individuals struggling with obesity, as it suggests that the difficulty in maintaining weight loss may not be due solely to a lack of willpower or motivation, but rather to a deeper cellular memory that actively resists change.

Congrats to shared first-authors Laura C. Hinte and Daniel Castellano-Castillo and all the other co-authors and collaborators on this publication!

Curious? Find out more about our paper here: external page https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08165-7

Our findings were highlighted in several media releases. Check them out here: