Immune system plays major role in regulation of body weight

Sabine_Stroehm

That's the headline. This is the news brief from Trinity College, with a link to the article.
Thoughts?
My own is that it's interesting, but probably quite pre-mature of an announcement as a statement.
I'd love to know what the more science inclined think. I'm still wading through it myself.
http://www.tcd.ie/news_events/articles/immune-system-plays-major-role-in-regulation-of-body-weight/7135?utm_content=buffer94eef&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

NorthCascades

This part bothered me a little bit. It comes off as overly simplistic - and I know that's not a fair criticism when somebody is trying to simplify a very complex idea for public consumption:

“We normally think of the immune system as something that guards against infection and diseases. However in evolutionary terms, a sudden or rapid weight loss could be a more immediate threat to survival. This immune system response contributes to why people really struggle to lose weight, despite their best efforts to control calories and do exercise. Our findings give us a much better understanding of why this is so and they illustrate the dynamic role that the immune system plays in regulating body weight,” Professor O'Shea said.

Your immune system guards against things that are sometimes associated with health problems? It can be tricked that easily? I mean, it produces antibodies tailored specifically to whatever illness it's fighting off, but it just says "woah, less fat, some kind of bad thing is happening?" I feel like I'm being talked down to.

“We know that once weight is gained, for the majority of people, it is very difficult to lose that weight. It is too simplistic to say eat less, move more and the weight will come off. It doesn’t actually work like that.”

But what about all the people who've done exactly that?

Gallowmere1984

That last statement also completely ignores people on the other side of the coin: those who have problems keeping on any amount of fat that they may acquire, unless they put effort into doing so.

singingflutelady

There are plenty of people with autoimmune disorders who have messed up immune systems who aren't obese but I guess we should be?

CSARdiver

So immune system disorders will be the next snowflake chase?

I despise these media oversimplifications. This sounds like a reaction from a specific immune disorder, but thanks to miscommunication this will be peddled as the next excuse on why you can't lose weight. I can see it now - "It's not your fault...find out why at 11"

There are known inhibitors that influence metabolic pathways; however there are diagnostics available to identify these breakdowns.

singingflutelady

Same with Crohn's and ulcerative colitis (when not on Prednisone)

Sabine_Stroehm

NorthCascades wrote: »

This part bothered me a little bit. It comes off as overly simplistic - and I know that's not a fair criticism when somebody is trying to simplify a very complex idea for public consumption:

“We normally think of the immune system as something that guards against infection and diseases. However in evolutionary terms, a sudden or rapid weight loss could be a more immediate threat to survival. This immune system response contributes to why people really struggle to lose weight, despite their best efforts to control calories and do exercise. Our findings give us a much better understanding of why this is so and they illustrate the dynamic role that the immune system plays in regulating body weight,” Professor O'Shea said.

Your immune system guards against things that are sometimes associated with health problems? It can be tricked that easily? I mean, it produces antibodies tailored specifically to whatever illness it's fighting off, but it just says "woah, less fat, some kind of bad thing is happening?" I feel like I'm being talked down to.

“We know that once weight is gained, for the majority of people, it is very difficult to lose that weight. It is too simplistic to say eat less, move more and the weight will come off. It doesn’t actually work like that.”

But what about all the people who've done exactly that?

It's common for these sorts of press releases to oversimplify, so a larger audience can access it, but yeah.

Treece68

From my personal experience being overweight my whole life, and recently being diagnosed with Celiac, and trying lots and lots of diets and programs. I always gave up because I would only go down by 5lbs at the most. I am having more success now that I am gluten free and my immune system is working and my white blood cell count is normal. I don't know if it is true for all auto immune disorders.

Sabine_Stroehm

VegetaSKJ wrote: »

singingflutelady wrote: »

There are plenty of people with autoimmune disorders who have messed up immune systems who aren't obese but I guess we should be?

Not exactly what the actual paper would say.
It is worth noting, T1D is an autoimmune disease that tends to cause weight loss when untreated.

Right. Good point for T1D and as singing flute lady says for chrohns and colitis (though by different mechanisms). The same for many "wasting" diseases, and some opportunistic infections common among AIDS patients (particularly in the 80s and 90s).

This article makes me think of the gut/brain studies on depression and gut microbes and reminds me how complex the human body is (and how little I really know after all these years).

singingflutelady

Treece68 wrote: »

From my personal experience being overweight my whole life, and recently being diagnosed with Celiac, and trying lots and lots of diets and programs. I always gave up because I would only go down by 5lbs at the most. I am having more success now that I am gluten free and my immune system is working and my white blood cell count is normal. I don't know if it is true for all auto immune disorders.

In a lot of other AI diseases the triggers are unknown. For me avoiding tons of different foods helps but sometimes safe food isn't safe and sometimes water is a trigger. The only thing keeping my immune system down are immunosuppressants and even with those i am not fully in remission. Also with IBD, you tend to weigh less while in flare (for obvious reasons) than in remission except for the dreaded Prednisone

stealthq

VegetaSKJ wrote: »

singingflutelady wrote: »

There are plenty of people with autoimmune disorders who have messed up immune systems who aren't obese but I guess we should be?

Not exactly what the actual paper would say.
It is worth noting, T1D is an autoimmune disease that tends to cause weight loss when untreated.

Well, yes - any disease that interferes with the body's ability to uptake a macro would do so, whether that interference is in the intestine, like with @singingflutelady's example of Chron's and UC, or whether it is in cellular transport of glucose like with T1D. But that has nothing to do with whether the disease is autoimmune or not. There are a fair number of non-autoimmune diseases that have analogous effects.

NorthCascades

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

That last statement also completely ignores people on the other side of the coin: those who have problems keeping on any amount of fat that they may acquire, unless they put effort into doing so.

This is a really good point. Years ago I was heavier than I needed to be, it took effort to fix that, luckily my immune system wasn't too much in the way. But even afterwards, I guess it's still affecting me, because this didn't even occur to me. I think you just sunk the battleship of "your immune system wants you fat."

stevencloser

CSARdiver wrote: »

So immune system disorders will be the next snowflake chase?

I despise these media oversimplifications. This sounds like a reaction from a specific immune disorder, but thanks to miscommunication this will be peddled as the next excuse on why you can't lose weight. I can see it now - "It's not your fault...find out why at 11"

There are known inhibitors that influence metabolic pathways; however there are diagnostics available to identify these breakdowns.

I can already tell. After inflammation and gut bacteria this will be the next big excuse next to the evergreen "metabolism".

RoxieDawn

Another man made medication in the making to help cure obesity, that will cause more harm to others and I see law suits and what not being posted on the TV right now.. If you took x weight loss drug and got x, you may have a case...

stealthq

VegetaSKJ wrote: »

stealthq wrote: »

VegetaSKJ wrote: »

singingflutelady wrote: »

There are plenty of people with autoimmune disorders who have messed up immune systems who aren't obese but I guess we should be?

Not exactly what the actual paper would say.
It is worth noting, T1D is an autoimmune disease that tends to cause weight loss when untreated.

Well, yes - any disease that interferes with the body's ability to uptake a macro would do so, whether that interference is in the intestine, like with @singingflutelady's example of Chron's and UC, or whether it is in cellular transport of glucose like with T1D. But that has nothing to do with whether the disease is autoimmune or not. There are a fair number of non-autoimmune diseases that have analogous effects.

That's exactly my point. Nothing in the paper - to the extent I can view because paywalls - is suggesting autoimmune disease as a generic category of disease is going to affect obesity.
In general, despite what most people think, I'd say diseases tend to decrease the ability to uptake calories or increase calorie expenditure for same activity (though plenty of disease states are going to shoot activity levels down) and would therefore be involved in weight loss, not gain.

Gotcha - I misunderstood.

Agree with most disease states would relate more to weight loss than gain. Otherwise there wouldn't be much concern with being at a low but technically healthy weight and getting ill.

GaleHawkins

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

That's the headline. This is the news brief from Trinity College, with a link to the article.
Thoughts?
My own is that it's interesting, but probably quite pre-mature of an announcement as a statement.
I'd love to know what the more science inclined think. I'm still wading through it myself.
http://www.tcd.ie/news_events/articles/immune-system-plays-major-role-in-regulation-of-body-weight/7135?utm_content=buffer94eef&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Since 80% of the immune system resides in the gut sure there must be a connection.

jenilla1

Treece68 wrote: »

From my personal experience being overweight my whole life, and recently being diagnosed with Celiac, and trying lots and lots of diets and programs. I always gave up because I would only go down by 5lbs at the most. I am having more success now that I am gluten free and my immune system is working and my white blood cell count is normal. I don't know if it is true for all auto immune disorders.

I guess it's different for everyone, even within the same immune disorder. Before I was diagnosed and went gluten free, I was borderline underweight, since I couldn't eat without becoming physically ill. I was able to stop the unintentional weight loss and bump it back up to a healthier place once my system got healthy. I think immune disorders mess with everyone in different ways. Glad you got diagnosed and got your health back in order! It's like night and day for me.

nvmomketo

It is an over simplification but I think there is something to it. I have three autoimmune diseases that I know of. I get flare-ups of these, or another unknown one, sometimes. It is less frquent now but it still happens. I had a flare-up beginning early summer. My hair was falling out, I was tired, getting more headaches and pain, my liver started making too much glucose, and I started gaining weight. I put on 2-3 lbs per month. I wasn't eating huge amounts but I was gaining. I cut back on my food to only two meals per day for a total below 1500 kcal, and I'm working out or walking an hour per day. My weight gain has slowed. That's it.

It's frustrating because 6 months ago I was maintaining well at more that 2000kcal per day. Without exercise. Effortlessly. It's like my body flipped the switch that said you won't feel good now, and as a bonus you'll gain with ease. This isn't new. Just something to be worked around.

Basically, when I feel good it much easier to maintain a healthy weight. It can be done when I'm not at my best, but I do find it harder to do. More effort and fewer calories are required.

gothchiq

I dunno... I have some ailments that may have an autoimmune component but currently are poorly understood. Also, allergies and arthritis. To lose weight I must be very strict and work out HARD, no slacking. Before I got my thyroid meds properly adjusted nothing worked, even a VLCD plus exercise. My body would just slow down more and burn less. People are skeptical about my 1200 calorie diet but honestly if I do not do this there is no weight loss. As it is I only lose at most a pound every 2 or 3 weeks. It's very hard.