Maintaining weight loss can be difficult. When the body loses weight, it responds with biological mechanisms that can cause the weight to return, according to Berlingske.
A new study published in Nature Medicine investigated the issue. A total of 90 people took part.
First, the participants followed a strict meal-replacement diet for eight weeks. They were required to lose at least eight percent of their body weight. They were then allowed to eat freely for six months.
Difference between the groups
The participants were divided into two groups. One received a placebo every day, while the other received a specific dietary supplement.
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After six months, the placebo group had regained an average of 3.3 kilograms. This corresponded to 32.9 percent of the weight they had previously lost.
The other group had regained only 1.2 kilograms, corresponding to 13.6 percent of their previous weight loss. According to Berlingske, obesity researcher Christoffer Clemmensen from the University of Copenhagen considers the results convincing.
A bacterium may help
The supplement contains the gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila. Researchers do not yet know exactly why the bacterium may have an effect.
According to Berlingske, professor and obesity researcher Jens Meldgaard Bruun from Aarhus University suggests that the bacterium may cause the body to excrete more energy through faeces.
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The study does not show that the supplement helps people lose weight. The results only point to a possible benefit in maintaining weight after weight loss.
Both Danish researchers stress that more studies are needed before the supplement can be recommended.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.