Diets work only in combination with sports

Animal experimentation is one of those things, not only from the point of view of animal welfare. Often, the studies are not transferable to humans. But in a study published by the University of Cambridge, scientists are confident that it also applies to humans. Moreover, their study succeeded: Diets only work with exercise.

The cause of the yo-yo effect decoded

Well over half of the adult population in the Western World is overweight. Many of them are desperate to find a diet that will make the pounds just melt away. And the majority of people who have already tried a diet are familiar with the yo-yo effect. First, the pounds fall, and then they accumulate again. Often the scales even show more than before the diet. Scientists at the Metabolic Research Institute of the University of Cambridge now believe they have found the cause of this frustrating effect:

• Weight loss strategies are inefficient because the body works like a thermostat. When we eat less, the organism simply burns fewer calories. That’s what makes losing weight so difficult.

• British researchers have now found another reason in the brains of mice – they have similar biological and physiological similarities to humans – why diets so often fail. An individual neuron in the hypothalamus called AGRP may be responsible.

• AGRP has direct effects on the thermostat described above. In addition, AGRP triggers hunger in us, and when food is unavailable, it is probably also responsible for down-regulating calorie consumption.

Diets need time and exercise

As I said, it has only been proven in mice. But according to the researchers, the probability that AGRP also plays a vital role in human weight loss is very high. So now it is an excellent excuse for overweight people to say after unsuccessful diets that AGRP is to blame. But most would like to decrease and fortunately can be made there also which, because AGRP can be tricked:

• Diets, the the scientists are safe, can function only, if one decreases slowly and drives at the same time regularly sport.

• The ideal is a maximum of one and a half pounds per week. Of course, this takes a little longer, but the success is permanent. There is no yo-yo effect.

• The scientists recommend a combination of endurance and strength training. Jogging, swimming, and aqua fitness consume many calories and cycling a little less, so you have to pedal a little longer to get to the calorie consumption, as with the other sports.

• Workouts with your own body weight and on and with equipment are suitable for strength training. Advanced users can also work with more effective free weights. Also perfect are the various forms of functional fitness and HIIT, with which you can burn up to 800 calories in an hour.