(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY KIM ST. ONGE

Dieters who can’t seem to keep off the extra pounds now have a scientific excuse. KTTV has the details.  

“Well, it's not the doughnuts, it's your hormones making you regain weight. A study shows that hunger hormones can sabotage diet results.”

Australian researchers put 50 overweight or obese people on a low-calorie diet for 10 weeks. Researchers tested the same group a year later and found their hormones had only partially stabilized and participants were even hungrier after meals than before the study.  

WBBH reports this hormonal change creates a vicious cycle.

“Experts say those who lose significant weight not only gain a bigger appetite but also burn fewer calories than normal, creating a perfect storm for weight regain.”

In The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers suggest the hormonal change probably formed in response to times when food was harder to come by.  

“These mechanisms would be advantageous for a lean person in an environment where food was scarce, but in an environment in which energy-dense food is abundant and physical activity is largely unnecessary, the high rate of relapse after weight loss is not surprising.”

Although the study is stealing some headlines-- a writer for Catholic Online argues, researchers need to gather more information.

“If true, then doctors may need to reevaluate how they approach the question of treating obesity. The study needs follow-up. The sample size was only 50 subjects, and 16 of them did not complete the program.”

Endocrinologist Dr. Gary Heber agrees-- telling a HealthDay reporter the study’s findings are misleading. U.S. News and World Report has his advice:

"The power is in your hands to get to a healthy body weight by eating a healthy diet and exercising and receiving proper medical supervision. We have lots of evidence showing people have lost weight this way."