Since the recent rediscovery of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adult humans, this thermogenic tissue has been attracting increasing interest. The inverse relationship between BAT activity and body fatness suggests that BAT, because of its energy dissipating activity, is protective against body fat accumulation. Cold exposure activates and recruits BAT, resulting in increased energy expenditure … Read more
New research suggests that transient receptor channels (TRPs) activated in progenitor cells can help create more According to research published online in The FASEB Journal, scientists have discovered a way to increase the amount of metabolism-boosting brown adipose tissue (BAT) (“good” fat) by employing two receptors on BAT cells as potential therapeutic targets. Both receptors, … Read more
Could it be that body fat has more to do with biological processes than personal choices? Do we control our fat, or does it control us? For generations, overweight individuals have been stigmatized and cast as lazy. But scientists are coming to understand fat as a fascinating and dynamic organ—one whose size has more to … Read more
How brown fat improves metabolism At a Glance Researchers gained key insights into brown fat’s effects on the body’s metabolism. The findings reveal targets for developing new treatments for obesity and diabetes. Metabolism involves the chemical reactions that break down the food we eat into sugars, fats, and amino acids. We use these compounds for … Read more
Study may help lead to drugs aimed at diabetes and obesity Rutgers and other scientists have discovered how brown fat, also known as brown adipose tissue, may help protect against obesity and diabetes. Their study in the journal Nature adds to our knowledge about the role of brown fat in human health and could lead … Read more
Scientists from the University of Nottingham have discovered that drinking a cup of coffee can stimulate ‘brown fat’, the body’s own fat-fighting defenses, which could be the key to tackling obesity and diabetes. The pioneering study, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, is one of the first to be carried out in humans to … 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
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
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
Findings show potential for obesity treatment Investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in collaboration with scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have identified a natural molecular pathway that enables cells to burn off calories as heat rather than store them as fat. This raises the possibility of a new approach to treating and preventing obesity, … Read more