A newly published study by researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine has identified a potential therapeutic target for treating obesity and diabetes. The scientists studied the biological function of an epigenetic modifier known as histone deacetylase 11 (HDAC11), and determined that deleting it in mice stimulates the formation of brown adipose tissue. … Read more
Researchers open the door to potential new therapies for certain metabolic and muscular diseases Abundant in human babies and small mammals, brown adipose tissue (BAT), or brown fat, was only recently discovered in human adults, and its role remains unclear. Known to play an integral part in generating body heat and burning stored energy, its … Read more
The importance of the human brown adipose tissue (BAT) has become clearer during the past ten years. Using positron emission tomography, PET, it was shown that adult humans have functional BAT. Coldness is an effective activator of the BAT metabolic function but, in rodents, eating has the same effect. Now, the researchers at Turku PET … Read more
A new technique to study fat stores in the body could aid efforts to find treatments to tackle obesity. The approach focuses on energy-burning tissues found deep inside the body — called brown fat — that help to keep us warm when temperatures drop. Experts are aiming to find if this calorie-burning power can be … Read more
Better understanding of signals to burn energy may eventually lead to treatments for obesity. Sad but true, we don’t all respond equally to exercise. Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have uncovered a new kind of clue to this variable response — a hormone whose levels in the bloodstream rise sharply in exercise as well as … Read more
The human body has two primary kinds of fat — white fat, which stores excess calories and is associated with obesity, and brown fat, which burns calories in order to produce heat and has garnered interest as a potential means of combating obesity. Now, a study led by Brown University researchers has identified an enzyme … Read more
The study shows that the elimination of this protein from obese mice blocks any further increase in obesity and reduces body weight Scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) have identified a protein that holds promise as a target for therapies to reduce obesity. Drs. Guadalupe Sabio and Nuria Matesanz have … Read more
New discoveries about the mechanism responsible for heat generation in the body related to fat tissue oppose classical views in the field and could lead to new ways to fight metabolic disorders associated with obesity, according to a study led by Georgia State University. More than one-third of adults in the United States are obese, … Read more
Microneedle skin patch that delivers fat-shrinking drug locally could be used to treat obesity and diabetes Researchers have devised a medicated skin patch that can turn energy-storing white fat into energy-burning brown fat locally while raising the body’s overall metabolism. The patch could be used to burn off pockets of unwanted fat such as “love … Read more
Scientists at Monash University’s Biomedicine Discovery Institute have found a mechanism by which the brain coordinates feeding with energy expenditure, solving a puzzle that has previously eluded researchers and offering a potential novel target for the treatment of obesity. Obesity — a major risk factor for many diseases including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, liver … Read more