Fat cells

Scientists have stumbled across a mechanism by which the immune system triggers the secretion of fat cells through the skin. The mechanism may translate from mice into humans, but turning it into a safe obesity therapy could be challenging.

Accumulation of fat around the heart has long been linked to cardiovascular and metabolic disease but until now there hasn’t been a simple way to measure this. A new AI tool has been developed that can quantify these fat deposits from regular MRI images.

Researchers have uncovered interesting new details around the function of fat cells, finding that increasing levels of a certain protein could offer protection against diabetes in at-risk individuals, by altering the behavior of white fat cells.

Researchers have discovered a new method to treat obesity by blocking a receptor in fat cells and speeding up energy expenditure. An experimental drug has been developed targeting this receptor and it has been effective at preventing obesity in mice.

Much research into obesity of late has focused on ways they body might be made to produce more brown fat rather than white as a way of fighting weight gain, and scientists have now made a key advance in this area.

Scientists have used 49 pairs of identical twins to delve into the metabolic changes that can take place in fat tissue as a result of obesity, teasing out some distinct biological processes that were linked to adverse health effects.

A new study has found moderate consumption of fructose and sucrose can dramatically amplify fat production in the liver. The research also suggests these sugar-induced changes to fat metabolism can continue for long periods of time.

Scientists in Spain have published a paper examining the fat-burning potential of coffee when consumed before aerobic exercise, and found that the effects are a lot more profound later in the afternoon than in the morning.

A new study has affirmed the link between the presence of brown fat and improved cardiac or metabolic health, validating the relatively new hypothesis that the type of adipose tissue commonly referred to as brown fat confers broad health benefits.

A new study has found that braving the cold may be a good way to help burn off some of that Christmas pudding. The research suggests that the ambient temperature while exercising could have an effect of fat metabolism.

A new Harvard study highlights missing pieces of the puzzle in the relationship between cancer and obesity. The team finds that cancer cells can use the higher fat availability to starve immune cells of fuel and prevent them from targeting tumors.

A new study has discovered a previously unknown mechanism by which a hormone released from the gut hours after eating effectively switches off the body’s fat production processes, and found this mechanism is defective in those with fatty liver disease.