3 ms·

More like "just take these GLP-1 agonists for the rest of your life". Those seem to have an effect on addictions etc. But at least when it comes to weight, peop

by elric 2y ago

More like "just take these GLP-1 agonists for the rest of your life". Those seem to have an effect on addictions etc. But at least when it comes to weight, people seem to put it back on once they quit. Perhaps the GLP-1 agonist is lacking an epigenetic reset button ...

bsder 2y ago
Fat cells only turn over about 20% per year. You basically need to maintain a reduced weight for 5 years before the fat cells "forget" the higher weight. If you come off it before that 5 years are up, yeah, you are probably expected to bounce back somewhat. You might not need to be on GLP-1 forever, but you might need to be on it longer than people currently think.
- elric 2y ago
  Oh thanks, that 20% is a super useful statistic to keep in mind.
- Etheryte 2y ago
  Do you happen to have a reference for that or a specific link to learn more? That sounds oddly specific.
  - senko 2y ago
    Was also interested and a quick search for "human fat cells turnover time years" returned a few research papers that quote 10% a year.
  - bsder 2y ago
    Not offhand, but it was an article talking about how they use background radiation to estimate cellular lifetimes.
- formerly_proven 2y ago
  Weight / obesity management is basically managing a chronic condition, that's why time-limited interventions (workout camps, fasting, dieting, drug injections for a few months) don't work - you have to continuously manage the issue. The idea that you have an issue (obesity) and then make an intervention (loose weight) and therefore the issue is resolved (you are no longer obese) is just wrong. It needs to be managed from either the demand side (regular GLP-1 agonist injections to suppress hunger) or the supply side (eating less / better food). Hence: Dieting = never works. Building sustainable habits or continuous administering of GLP-1 = always works. (Or you're one of the 5% or so of people with a rare gene variation that basically prevents major fat build-up in the body and there's just nothing to manage for you about that — this would've been a pretty disadvantageous adaption in the past, but it's fair to say that the other 95% are maladpated to the last couple thousand years of human life).
  - djmips 2y ago
    It's semantics but 'changing your diet' is more apt.
- testing22321 2y ago
  > If you come off it before that 5 years are up, yeah, you are probably expected to bounce back somewhat. It would only be possible to bounce back if you eat excess calories once off the GLP-1.
  - zemvpferreira 2y ago
    Obviously, but the 'obesogenic memory' that this article is about is a real problem. Calories don't manifest out of thin air but for a plethora of reasons they're much much easier to overconsume as a formerly fat person.
    - testing22321 2y ago
      Over consuming calories is always easy for everyone. Sugar and fat instead of vegetables.
- loeg 2y ago
  That's a much rosier picture than requiring GLP-1s for your entire lifetime.

by elric 2y ago

bsder 2y ago

Fat cells only turn over about 20% per year. You basically need to maintain a reduced weight for 5 years before the fat cells "forget" the higher weight. If you come off it before that 5 years are up, yeah, you are probably expected to bounce back somewhat. You might not need to be on GLP-1 forever, but you might need to be on it longer than people currently think.

elric 2y ago
Oh thanks, that 20% is a super useful statistic to keep in mind.
Etheryte 2y ago
Do you happen to have a reference for that or a specific link to learn more? That sounds oddly specific.
- senko 2y ago
  Was also interested and a quick search for "human fat cells turnover time years" returned a few research papers that quote 10% a year.
- bsder 2y ago
  Not offhand, but it was an article talking about how they use background radiation to estimate cellular lifetimes.
formerly_proven 2y ago
Weight / obesity management is basically managing a chronic condition, that's why time-limited interventions (workout camps, fasting, dieting, drug injections for a few months) don't work - you have to continuously manage the issue. The idea that you have an issue (obesity) and then make an intervention (loose weight) and therefore the issue is resolved (you are no longer obese) is just wrong. It needs to be managed from either the demand side (regular GLP-1 agonist injections to suppress hunger) or the supply side (eating less / better food). Hence: Dieting = never works. Building sustainable habits or continuous administering of GLP-1 = always works. (Or you're one of the 5% or so of people with a rare gene variation that basically prevents major fat build-up in the body and there's just nothing to manage for you about that — this would've been a pretty disadvantageous adaption in the past, but it's fair to say that the other 95% are maladpated to the last couple thousand years of human life).
- djmips 2y ago
  It's semantics but 'changing your diet' is more apt.
testing22321 2y ago
> If you come off it before that 5 years are up, yeah, you are probably expected to bounce back somewhat. It would only be possible to bounce back if you eat excess calories once off the GLP-1.
- zemvpferreira 2y ago
  Obviously, but the 'obesogenic memory' that this article is about is a real problem. Calories don't manifest out of thin air but for a plethora of reasons they're much much easier to overconsume as a formerly fat person.
  - testing22321 2y ago
    Over consuming calories is always easy for everyone. Sugar and fat instead of vegetables.
loeg 2y ago
That's a much rosier picture than requiring GLP-1s for your entire lifetime.