Regaining weight after dieting may be linked to pre-diet hormone levels

Maintaining weight loss is tough--most people eventually regain the weight they lose. A new study suggests that levels of appetite hormone in the body before dieting could forecast how many pounds are put back on after dieting.

Researchers looked at appetite hormone levels among 104 men and women who were obese and overweight. The participants went on an eight-week diet and had fasting hormone levels checked 32 weeks later. One of the hormones, ghrelin, increases appetite, with levels rising before eating. Leptin lets the brain know that the body has had enough to eat, decreasing appetite.

After the eight-week diet, subjects lost an average of 5% of their body weight and lowered their body mass index, fat mass and waist circumference.

At 32 weeks, 55 people had maintained their weight loss, while 49 regained 10% or more of the weight they had lost.

Researchers discovered that those who had higher levels of leptin and lower levels of ghrelin before they started dieting were more likely to regain the weight they lost.

In a news release, lead author Ana Crujeiras said, “We believe this research is of foremost relevance in clinical terms as it may indicate that the outcome of weight therapy may be pre-conditioned. Furthermore, our findings may provide endocrinology and nutrition professionals a tool to identify individuals in need of specialized weight-loss programs that first target appetite hormone levels before beginning conventional dietary treatment.” Crujeiras is with Compejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago in Spain.

The study will appear in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

-Jeannine Stein/Los Angeles Times