Brown Fat News and Research

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Genes determining the browning of white fat finds study

The fat cells of the body play an essential role in the storage of energy and its release when necessary. Research has shown that apart from energy storage, these adipocytes or fat cells also play a role in hormonal balance and metabolism-regulating hunger. A new study titled, “Systems-genetics-based inference of a core regulatory network underlying white fat browning”, was published in the latest issue of the journal Cell Report.

13 Jan 2020

First in vitro system can help study early spine development in humans

More than 20 years ago, the lab of developmental biologist Olivier Pourquié discovered a sort of cellular clock in chicken embryos where each "tick" stimulates the formation of a structure called a somite that ultimately becomes a vertebra.

9 Jan 2020

New technique provides real-time images of biomolecules in living cells

Metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity are ever more common globally. In addition to genetic disposition, lifestyle contributes strongly to the prevalence of these metabolic diseases.

23 Dec 2019

Recently discovered protein may play key role in obesity and metabolic disease

With unexpected findings about a protein that's highly expressed in fat tissue, scientists at Scripps Research have opened the door to critical new understandings about obesity and metabolism.

21 Nov 2019

White and brown fat cells send very different signals to rest of the body

Many people might not realize that they have different types of body fat. Most of it is white fat that sits on your stomach, hips and thighs, for example. White fat is an energy storage that our body can use when food is scarce.

25 Oct 2019

Lipid produced in response to cold helps reduce blood sugar

Researchers based in Brazil, the United States and Germany have discovered that 12-HEPE, a lipid produced in response to cold by brown adipose tissue in the human body, helps reduce blood sugar. The results of their experiments with mice pave the way for new treatments for diabetes.

27 Sep 2019

Fatty food changes the brain to affect homeostasis and metabolism

While we all know that eating fatty food pushes up our body weight, a new study now shows it also affects the way the brain keeps track of and corrects all metabolic irregularities in the body. Soon after tucking into a high-fat, high-carb meal – as soon as three days later – the hypothalamus shows inflammation.

10 Sep 2019

Scientists discover how brown fat may help protect against obesity and diabetes

Rutgers and other scientists have discovered how brown fat, also known as brown adipose tissue, may help protect against obesity and diabetes.

21 Aug 2019

Researchers propose new avenue in the search for anti-obesity drugs

Effective weight-loss strategies call for eating less food, burning more calories--or ideally, both. But for the more than 90 million Americans who suffer from obesity, a disease that contributes to conditions ranging from cancer to heart disease, behavioral change is hard to accomplish or not effective enough--which is why scientists have long sought drugs that would help people shed pounds.

29 Jun 2019

Coffee may boost weight loss, concludes study

Coffee has been shown to increase the release of heat from brown fat, potentially boosting weight loss efforts.

25 Jun 2019

A cup of coffee could be the key to tackling obesity and diabetes

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.

24 Jun 2019

Researchers challenge prior theories about how materials travel within E.coli cell

The flow of traffic through our nation's highways and byways is meticulously mapped and studied, but less is known about how materials in cells travel.

13 Jun 2019

Study confirms gut-brain link in autism

People with autism often suffer from gut problems, but nobody has known why. Researchers have now discovered the same gene mutations – found both in the brain and the gut – could be the cause.

31 May 2019

Genetic switch that controls conversion of bad to good fat identified

Fat cells. They are the bane of a dieter's existence, but fat is important. Previous studies showed the subcutaneous white fat cells can transform to brown and beige varieties when exposed to cold stress.

23 May 2019

Bladder drug can accelerate atheroclerosis in mice

A drug used in the treatment of overactive bladder can accelerate atheroclerosis in mice, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

14 May 2019

Researchers uncover new brain mechanisms regulating body weight

Researchers at University of Gothenburg, Sweden, clarify the link between the molecule interleukine-6 (IL-6) in the brain and obesity. In experiments on rats and mice they show that the molecule does affect the risk of obesity, and also where this effect occurs in the brain.

2 May 2019

Mayo Clinic researchers identify gene that may predict pancreatic cancer risk in diabetic patients

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a gene called "UCP-1" that may predict the development of pancreatic cancer in people with Type 2 diabetes. Their findings are published in Gastroenterology.

25 Feb 2019

Newly discovered regulatory mechanism helps control fat metabolism

A newly discovered regulatory mechanism helps the body control the rate of fat metabolism, according to a new study publishing on January 17 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Ligong Chen of Tsinghua University in Beijing and colleagues.

18 Jan 2019

Statins reduce the formation of brown adipose tissue

A certain proportion of the adult population has not only white adipose (or fatty) tissue, but also the brown kind. This brown adipose tissue helps to convert sugar and fat into heat. People with brown adipose tissue are better at regulating their body temperature in the winter, and are less likely to suffer from excess weight or diabetes.

21 Dec 2018

Discovery of gene that is calorie-burning and reduces fat storage

Australian researchers have found a gene which when removed could allow a person to eat as much as they want but not get fat. The study results were published in the latest issue of the journal European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Reports.

6 Dec 2018