February 24/The Netherlands/The Express -- Yo-yo dieters who slim down successfully may not be to blame when the pounds pile back on, scientists say. Tests suggest that the best efforts are being scuppered by a protein imbalance in the blood.

A team of experts has discovered that a gene linked to blood pressure may also play a part in weight gain after dieting.

A study of women slimmers found that those who regained weight also had suffered a huge change in the concentration of a protein in their blood. Although it is too early to say how this protein may influence dieting, it may hold vital clues that could eventually help to identify women at risk of regaining weight and so they can be offered extra support following their diets.

Edwin Mariman, professor of functional genetics at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, said, "It was a surprising discovery, because until now there has been no clear link between this protein and obesity. We do not yet have an explanation for the results, but it does appear that it should be possible within a few years to use this finding to develop a test to show who is at high risk of putting weight back on after a diet." The latest study was published in the journal PLoS One.

Figures show that women who battle with their weight go on a diet but do not lose weight for good.

Around eight in 10 women slimmers drop a dress size only to see the pounds pile back on. Researchers now hope to develop a test to indicate how prone people are to yo-yo dieting. More than half of all Britons are now overweight, and one in four are obese.  

From the February 25, 2011, Prepared Foods' Daily News
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