Battle the Yo-Yo Fat Effect

It's frustrating -- dieting like crazy to lose weight only to see it return within months -- the typical yo-yo effect. Scientists now know why this happens and they blame it on our body's "fat thermostat."

Oregon Health Sciences University researchers, writing in journal Neuron, say they've found a neuron in the brain that coordinates appetite and metabolism. This fat thermostat in the hypothalamus, called an adipostat, memorizes and regulates weight.

Researchers say when you lose weight your body thinks something is wrong, that you're starving or sick and it goes to war. The fat thermostat wages battle by initiating a number of responses, such as decreasing metabolism and increasing muscle efficiency to limit energy loss.

This discovery could lead to medications that help regulate your weight by resetting your adipostat to a lower level to make it easier to lose pounds. A number of pharmaceutical companies are working on drugs to stimulate the brain to prevent excessive calorie intake and energy storage, which would not only help you lose weight, but keep it off as well.

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