Why Your Workout Isn’t Working: New Study Reveals How a Protein Affects Your Weight Loss

Researchers have discovered why physical workout affects weight loss differently for each individual.

A study published in the journal Molecular Metabolism examined how variations in a specific protein influence the impact of exercise on weight loss.

Regular exercise is widely recognized as an effective method for weight loss. Yet, some people find it challenging to lose weight even after extensive workout sessions, while others achieve substantial weight loss with shorter exercise routines. The reasons for these differences are not fully understood and continue to be a focus of research in various fields.

A research team from Kobe University in Japan conducted experiments on mice and human models to understand why exercise effects vary among individuals at the cellular level. The study focused on a protein called PGC-1α, which plays a role in regulating metabolism. Three types of PGC-1α exist a, b, and c, with type a being the standard form and types b and c being variants.

The study’s results showed that fat burning during and after exercise significantly reduced in mice without the b and c variants of PGC-1α. In contrast, human models with both the b and c variants exhibited higher oxygen consumption of fat and lower body fat percentage.

This suggests that the type of PGC-1α protein present can influence the effects of weight loss through exercise.

The researchers explained that this discovery could lead to the development of obesity treatments that do not cause side effects such as nausea or vomiting. The study concluded that there is a correlation between the presence of specific protein variants and the varying effects of exercise on weight loss among individuals.