Brown Body Fat as a Weight Loss Product
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- Genetically altered mice producing the inflammation enzyme COX -2 in excess remain slim compared to normal mice even when given a fat-rich diet. Photo: DKFZ
Usually, metabolic regulation ensures energy balance so that the body weight remains fairly stable. In the event of increasing obesity, more energy is deposited in the so-called white adipose tissue than is used. By contrast, brown adipose tissue has a different function, converting energy into heat. The idea is, therefore, that brown adipose tissue could possibly help to restore the disturbed balance between absorption and consumption of energy.
Researchers from the Division of Molecular Metabolic Control at the German Cancer Research Centre headed by Dr. Stephan Herzig discovered a signal path in mice triggering the new formation of brown adipose tissue. The inflammation enzyme Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), which regulates the production of prostaglandins, has a decisive part in this process. In genetically altered mice producing the enzyme in excess quantities, the prostaglandin level rose and effected that progenitor cells in the white adipose tissue developed into brown adipocytes. These mice weighed some 20 percent less than normal animals and remained slim even when given a fat-rich diet. The Heidelberg researchers consider the possibility of using the production of brown adipose tissue for treating obesity. “There are calculations according to which 50 grams of additional brown adipose tissue increase a person’s metabolic rate by 20 percent”, says Herzig.
However, tumour patients suffering from cachexia could also profit from the new research results. A study showed that treatment with COX-2 inhibitors halts the excess energy consumption and the ensuing emaciation.
