Bad eating habits are not always the cause of a belly after the age of fifty.
According to new research published in the journal Science, the abdominal muscles that expand with age are not related to overeating or eating too many processed foods as much as they are related to the body's biological programming to develop that extra paunch (the belly) as one ages.
Certainly, poor diet and lack of exercise are likely contributing factors. But, as with many of the problems we face in our bodies, it all comes down to our biology.
According to the study, researchers discovered that white adipose tissue, also known as belly fat, increases its production in middle age. This is due to a type of stem cell called CP-As, or “committed, age-specific pre-adipocytes.” CP-As almost exclusively produce new fat cells, making them solely responsible for weight gain in middle age despite your best efforts.
Using mice and single-cell RNA sequencing, the scientists transplanted stem cells from old mice into young mice, causing them to produce fat as if they were in the prime of their decline rather than in the prime of their youth.
In older mice, these CP-A cells required a specific signal, called the LIFR pathway, to light up and proliferate. Researchers also found the same CP-A cells in human adipose tissue, opening the door to potential future treatments that could block the CP-A pathways or the LIFR signal. This could provide individuals with a way to halt the slow decline into midlife sagging.
Until then, the magazine says, we can rest assured that our sagging abs aren't just due to our insatiable desire to devour a whole bag of chips while standing in the kitchen at 2 a.m. They're also due to some stupid cells we can't control.