{"id":890,"date":"2019-07-23T10:09:15","date_gmt":"2019-07-23T10:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=890"},"modified":"2019-07-23T10:09:15","modified_gmt":"2019-07-23T10:09:15","slug":"browning-white-fat-cells-opens-new-avenue-to-obesity-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/890\/browning-white-fat-cells-opens-new-avenue-to-obesity-prevention\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Browning\u2019 white fat cells opens new avenue to obesity prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"

by: Vittoria D’Alessio<\/p>\n

Scientists are getting closer to understanding how to turn the body\u2019s energy-storing white fat cells into energy-burning beige fat cells, opening up hopes that fat deposits could one day be deliberately manipulated to prevent obesity and related health conditions.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Professor Mirko Trajkovski from the Laboratory of Metabolic Health at Geneva University, Switzerland, believes researchers are well on their way to cracking this game-changing conversion process. \u2018By manipulating the body\u2019s fat stores, we can make big progress in the fight against obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 (lifestyle-related) diabetes,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

The body stores two main types of fat: white and brown. White dominates. It sits on our waist, hips and thighs and stores energy, releasing fatty acids when fuel is required. Eating in excess over a prolonged period causes white fat cells to swell, resulting in obesity.<\/p>\n

Brown fat has an opposing function to white, transferring energy from food into heat. Brown fat, when fully activated, burns 20% of our food intake and protects us from diet-induced obesity.<\/p>\n

Sadly, each of us carries only a tiny amount of brown fat (around 50g) and this doesn\u2019t change over our lifetimes. However, hope is now emerging in the form of a third kind of fat \u2013 beige. Beige fat lives within white fat tissue and works in a way that closely mimics brown fat, burning calories to generate heat. What makes beige fat special is its plasticity \u2013 when the circumstances are right, a beige cell will be fabricated through the \u2018browning\u2019 of a white fat cell.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

So what are the right circumstances, and how can they be harnessed to reduce obesity-related disease? Research suggests that exercise, gastric bypass surgery and prolonged exposure to the cold all stimulate the production of beige fat \u2013 meaning that the body is more efficient at burning energy.<\/p>\n

Negative energy balance<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018The common denominator seems to be a negative energy balance,\u2019 said Prof. Trajkovski. \u2018Energy loss is higher than energy gain.\u2019<\/p>\n

He ran a project called MIRBATWAT, which investigated a chain of events by which white fat cells turn into beige fat cells. One set of experiments on mice found that\u00a0restricting the amount of calories they ate<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 again creating a negative energy balance in the body \u2013 led to the browning of white fat cells through increased activity in the body\u2019s innate immune response, which is associated with inflammation reduction.<\/p>\n

In a follow-up paper, he showed that the ecosystem of bacteria living in our guts, known as the microbiome, also\u00a0plays a role<\/a>\u00a0in this process. When mice eat less or are exposed to the cold, it triggers a marked shift in the composition of the microbiome, which in turn boosts the innate immune system, improves the body\u2019s sensitivity to insulin (warding off type 2 diabetes) and promotes fat browning. Mechanistically, this positive response is caused by calorie-restricted bacteria producing less of a molecule called Lipopolysaccharides (LPS).<\/p>\n

Anti-obesity drugs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prof. Trajkovski is hopeful that new anti-obesity drugs channelling specific gut bacteria will eventually emerge from this work. \u2018One of the scopes in my research right now (in the\u00a0Healthybiota<\/a>\u00a0project) is to identify the individual microbes, as well as combinations of microbes, that contribute (to metabolic improvements), and to narrow down the mechanisms by which these microbes communicate with the host,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

Research on how to increase the amount of beige fat cells in humans could be furthered if researchers were able to study human fat cells outside the body rather than having to rely on mice studies, according to Dr Matthias Meier from the Helmholtz Pioneer Campus (HPC) at the Helmholtz Zentrum in Germany. He leads the\u00a0MicroAdiPSChip project<\/a>\u00a0to develop tools that enable researchers to study complex cell systems outside of the human body and deepen their understanding of obesity, late-stage diabetes and other complex metabolic disorders.<\/p>\n

\u2018We can\u2019t do genetic manipulations on humans, so all research is based on mice \u2013 but mice are metabolically very different to humans,\u2019 he explained. \u2018That\u2019s why we need these chemical micro-environments \u2013 so researchers can realistically study the factors that impact cell behaviour.\u2019 Factors might include diet, stress, hormones or age.<\/p>\n

On polymer and plastic chip platforms that closely resemble computer chips, his team builds miniscule 3D models, each model simulating a micro-environment found in the body. Fat cells at varying stages of development \u2013 from adult stem cells to maturing cells \u2013 are inserted into a model and bathed in cocktails of chemicals through microscopic fluid streams, to see how they respond.<\/p>\n

\n

‘By manipulating the body\u2019s fat stores, we can make big progress in the fight against obesity.’<\/p>\n

Mirko Trajkovski, Geneva University, Switzerland<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Over the next few years, Dr Meier is hopeful that his models will reveal how beige fat cells can be manipulated to develop from adult stem cells. He explained: \u2018Imagine stem cells are on the peak of a mountain. When they roll down, you want a stimulus that can shift them to the left valley where they become beige rather than the right valley where they become white.\u2019<\/p>\n

Once the mechanics of how stem cells become beige fat cells are understood, Dr Meier believes drug therapies will eventually be developed to boost healthy fat tissue in people who have genetic risk factors for obesity and type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n

Does he also anticipate a time when we will all submit to overindulgence and a sedentary lifestyle, relying on a pill to promote fat-burning beige cells? \u2018I hope not,\u2019 he says. \u2018Every drug comes with side effects, and there\u2019s no doubt that eating a healthy diet and less, and exercising, are the best preventatives for obesity and type 2 diabetes \u2013 this has to be stressed.\u2019<\/p>\n

The research in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s European Research Council. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.<\/em><\/p>\n

Originally published on Horizon<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by: Vittoria D’Alessio Scientists are getting closer to understanding how to turn the body\u2019s energy-storing white fat cells into energy-burning beige fat cells, opening up hopes that fat deposits could one day be deliberately manipulated to prevent obesity and related health conditions. Professor Mirko Trajkovski from the Laboratory of Metabolic Health at Geneva University, Switzerland, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13],"tags":[37,216,79,24],"class_list":["post-890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-life-non-humans","tag-health","tag-obesity","tag-research","tag-science"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Browning\u2019 white fat cells opens new avenue to obesity prevention - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/890\/browning-white-fat-cells-opens-new-avenue-to-obesity-prevention\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Browning\u2019 white fat cells opens new avenue to obesity prevention\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"by: Vittoria D’Alessio Scientists are getting closer to understanding how to turn the body\u2019s energy-storing white fat cells into energy-burning beige fat cells, opening up hopes that fat deposits could one day be deliberately manipulated to prevent obesity and related health conditions. 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By Michaela Nesvarova One of the biggest challenges in studying how diet impacts disease is understanding what people really eat. Food diaries and surveys are still\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"EU-funded researchers are helping unravel the complex relationship between diet and health. \u00a9 marilyn barbone, Shutterstock.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/16.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/16.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/16.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/16.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":778,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/778\/can-gut-microbes-and-genes-do-the-job-of-weight-loss-surgery\/","url_meta":{"origin":890,"position":2},"title":"Can gut microbes and genes do the job of weight loss surgery?","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"April 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by\u00a0Emanuela Barbiroglio Mice that have undergone weight loss surgery experience a change in the composition of their gut bacteria and the functioning of their genes, leading scientists to explore the possibility of mimicking these changes to develop a non-surgical treatment for obesity and liver disease in humans.\u00a0 Obesity and associated\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Scientists have linked post-operative changes in gut bacteria to improvements in metabolic diseases. 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He is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/Youth-Matters-workshop-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/Youth-Matters-workshop-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/Youth-Matters-workshop-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":343,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/343\/removing-barriers-to-healing\/","url_meta":{"origin":890,"position":4},"title":"Removing barriers to healing","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"June 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Natalie Grover Severe inflammation caused by a patient\u2019s immune system can be deadly, but stem cells found in\u00a0human\u00a0fat could provide new\u00a0ways to protect against\u00a0this toxic reaction. The work is\u00a0part of a subset of regenerative medicine that aims to tackle disease and disability by removing the natural barriers that prevent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fat has a higher ratio of stem cells than other tissues such as bone marrow.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/MSC_high_magnification_crp.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/MSC_high_magnification_crp.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/MSC_high_magnification_crp.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/MSC_high_magnification_crp.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/MSC_high_magnification_crp.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/06\/MSC_high_magnification_crp.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":539,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/539\/nature-or-nurture-how-do-we-end-child-obesity\/","url_meta":{"origin":890,"position":5},"title":"Nature or nurture: How do we end child obesity?","author":"Shaoni Bhattacharya","date":"November 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"A smartphone app that challenges children to engage in healthy behaviour, and genetic studies that investigate risk factors for obesity, are taking a nature and nurture approach to tackling one of the biggest epidemics of our time \u2013 childhood obesity. Around\u00a0224 million children\u00a0around the world are overweight, making obesity one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An estimated 224 million children worldwide are overweight or obese.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/Young_and_Fat_cropped.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/Young_and_Fat_cropped.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/Young_and_Fat_cropped.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/Young_and_Fat_cropped.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/Young_and_Fat_cropped.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/298"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}