Dieters can flick off a ‘fat switch’

DIETERS’ dreams of permanent weight loss may become a reality after Australian scientists discovered the switch in a person’s brain that tells their body to put on extra fat.

If the switch can be safely controlled, the discovery could bring an end to the effect of “yoyo dieting”, where any weight lost is put back on as a person resumes normal eating.

By being able to control the body’s ability to store excess fat, researchers at Melbourne’s Monash University hope to stop rebound weight gain.

A team led by Associate Professor Zane Andrews identified the protein that tells the body to switch between burning or storing fat.

“When you’re fasting or haven’t eaten in a while, the body will naturally start burning fat because it needs to eat into its reserves to provide energy for the body,” Prof Andrews said. “When we start eating a meal (again) these neurons help us switch from burning fat to burning carbohydrates from the food we ingest. If you can disable that switch then as you start eating food again your body will just maintain fat burning.”

The Monash team bred mice with the switch genetically turned off. Results published in the journal Cell Reports found regardless of whether they were being fasted, or fed after dieting, the mice continued to eat into fat reserves at a greater than normal rate.