"Muscle is lost during weight loss"... The paradox of obesity treatment injections and the relationship with gut bacteria

Extreme methods chosen for dieting are instead leading to results that destroy health. In this broadcast reported by TV CHOSUN LIFE, cases of decreased digestive function due to repeated fasting and binge eating, the impact of obesity on families, and the dangers of recently popular obesity treatment injections were covered.

"Health abnormalities caused by repeated fasting and binge eating"... The cause of obesity contagion among family members

One participant revealed that although they previously lost 36kg, the excessive dieting process caused their digestive power to drop sharply, leading to frequent indigestion when eating stimulating foods. As they gained weight, their dosage of hyperlipidemia medication has also gradually increased. Such rapid weight changes and incorrect eating habits expand beyond individual health problems to become a problem for the entire family.

Obesity is a disease with a high possibility of being contagious within a family. This is not because it spreads like a virus, but because family members share eating habits and lifestyle habits in the same space. Weight increases together as they consume carbohydrate-oriented diets or snacks placed in the living room. Additionally, it was cited as a major cause that if one family member is overweight, people around them perceive it as a normal weight, delaying the timing of realizing weight changes. In fact, statistics show that if a friend is obese, one's own probability of obesity increases by 57%, while it increases by 40% for siblings and 37% for spouses.

A case of three siblings in the United States clearly demonstrates the risk of obesity at the family level. These individuals, who weighed 364kg, 264kg, and 200kg respectively, seemed to succeed in dieting through gastric bypass surgery, but ultimately failed as their weight increased again. This is because a family culture operates where, if one member breaks their diet and starts binge eating, other siblings also break down with the mindset of 'it feels foolish if only I am enduring.'

Warning of obesity treatment injections, "Causes muscle loss and yo-yo effect"

Recently, obesity treatment injections that mimic appetite-suppressing hormones to delay gastrointestinal motility are gaining popularity, but there are also great concerns regarding their side effects. While the injections suppress appetite by maintaining a sense of fullness for a long time, a rapid yo-yo effect can occur the moment the medication is discontinued.

A particularly concerning point is muscle loss. According to an announcement by the American Diabetes Association, using GLP-1 class obesity treatment drugs can result in muscle loss of up to 10%. This figure is comparable to the muscle loss that progresses over 10 years during the natural aging process. When weight is lost, muscle is lost along with it, but when weight is regained, it increases primarily as fat, resulting in a constitution where body muscle decreases and only fat increases. In fact, it was found that the speed of regaining weight after stopping drug treatment is four times faster than in cases of dietary control or exercise.

The key to dieting is 'gut health'... The role of 'slim bacteria' that prevents 'fat bacteria'

The key to cases of successful weight management without drugs or supplements lay in 'gut health.' When the balance of gut microorganisms is broken, harmful bacteria proliferate and become so-called 'fat bacteria' that induce obesity. These harmful bacteria promote sugar fermentation to help fat accumulation and make appetite control difficult by negatively affecting leptin, the appetite-regulating hormone.

In actual research results, when the gut microbiota of mice that experienced a yo-yo effect was transplanted into normal-weight mice, it was confirmed that the normal-weight mice became obese. This is evidence that the gut bacteria themselves have a direct impact on obesity. On the other hand, if the proportion of 'slim bacteria,' which are beneficial bacteria that activate fat decomposition and help weight loss, is increased, it helps improve digestive function and create a constitution that does not gain weight easily.

Source: TVCHOSUN JOY (YouTube)