A new study published in Nature shows that there may be a way in the future to “turn on” the body’s ability to produce brown fat cells—-the kind the body uses for energy immediately. By contrast, white fat cells store energy rather than burn it.

This is the first such study. Mice were used to test the theory.

Clinical applications are a long way off. Still, obesity is a critical problem for individuals and for the nation as a whole.

This is exciting science. It could help solve the mystery of why some people have a great deal more trouble getting weight off and keeping it off.

Nature

“The recipe for brown fat formation is described this week in a Nature Letter published online. Brown fat specializes in burning calories to generate body heat, in contrast to white fat which acts as an energy store. The team created fully functional brown fat cells in the lab from both mouse and human stem cells. When transplanted into mice, the mouse cells formed a brown ‘fat pad’ that acted as a glucose ’sink’, soaking up extra energy. The findings could pave the way for new approaches to combat metabolic disorders such as obesity and type-2 diabetes.”

Credit: Shingo Kajimura, ‘Engineered brown fat cells’ converted from mouse skin fibroblasts by the two defined factors (PRDM16 and C/EBP-beta).

Citation: Nature advance online publication 29 July 2009 | doi:10.1038/nature08262