Thursday, August 21, 2025

Biggest Loser reality show tested whether exercise in itself causes loss of appetite: six years later results are significant!!

 The medical doctor Dr. Robert Huizenga for the Los Angeles Raiders hypothesized that if an obese person works with the intensity of an athlete then their appetite should also vanish just as it did for 400 lb lineman on the Raiders. Very fascinating!

One of the contestants then had a near-death experience due to her body shutting down from her self-induced over-exercising. 

  “metabolic adaptation” or “adaptive thermogenesis” and acts to counter weight loss and is thought to contribute to weight regain "usa-link" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4989512/#R1">1
, ). ...Six years following massive weight loss during The Biggest Loser competition, a large persistent metabolic adaptation was observed...the mean weight loss was 11.9 ± 16.8% compared to baseline and 57% of the participants maintained at least 10% weight loss. In comparison, it has been estimated that ~20% of overweight individuals maintain at least 10% weight loss after 1 year of a weight loss program ( href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4989512/#R32">32)....However, the Biggest Loser participants with the greatest weight loss at the end of the competition also experienced the greatest slowing of RMR at that time (). Similarly, those who were most successful at maintaining lost weight after 6 years also experienced greater ongoing metabolic slowing. These observations suggest that metabolic adaptation is a proportional, but incomplete, response to contemporaneous efforts to reduce body weight from its defended baseline or “set point” value ( href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4989512/#R14">14).

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4989512/Johanssen DL, Knuth ND, Huizenga R, Rood J, Ravussin E, Hall KD. Metabolic slowing with massive weight loss despite preservation of fat-free mass. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012;97:2489–2496. doi: 10.1210/jc.2012-1444. [Corrigendum. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 101(5), 2016.pan style="font-size: large;">Huizenga R

, Chen KY, et al. Metabolic adaptation following massive weight loss is related to the degree of energy imbalance and changes in circulating leptin. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2014;22:2563–2569.

The new Netflix documentary is after six years and says their obesity had already permanently rewired their metabolism - ....<;Now lawsuits are being filed over the Netflix doc! 

 35% of Biggest Loser contestants kept success in weight loss - post-Netflix doc interview with Biggest Loser trainer

 . The more lean body mass an obese person has, the higher their absolute RMR [resting metabolic rate] will be, as these tissues are metabolically active...a larger fat-free mass (muscle, bones, and organs) to support basic functions. However, when expressed relative to body weight or fat-free mass, RMR can be lower in some obese people, a factor linked to an increased risk of weight gain and difficulty in losing weight...During weight loss, RMR generally decreases because both fat-free mass and fat mass are reduced.

 Yes, capsaicin, the active compound in chili peppers, has been shown to increase resting metabolic rate (RMR) and total energy expenditure, with some studies indicating that chronic consumption may be necessary to see the effect. The thermogenic effect is likely due to increased sympathetic nervous system activity. However, the impact is generally small, and capsaicin's benefits are more pronounced in reducing body fat through increased fat oxidation and potentially decreasing carbohydrate oxidation. 

  • The effect of Capsaicinoids or Capsinoids in red pepper on thermogenesis in healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis
    Nonpungent capsaicin analogs (capsinoids) increase energy expenditure through the activation of brown adipose tissue in humans. Acute Effects of Capsaicin on Energy Expenditure and Fat Oxidation ... Jul 2, 2013 — Results. An induced negative energy balance of 25% was effectively a 20.5% negative energy balance due to adapting mech...

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