Apr 09 2009
“Good Fat” can fight Obesity and prevent Diabetes
A new study published in the latest issue of New England Journal of Medicine revealed that a type of “good” fat, which was thought to be found only in babies and children, may also present in adult humans. In fact in adults this fat is metabolically active and thus it may help scientists to find some new treatments both for obesity and diabetes.
The good fat is also called as brown fat and unlike white fat it burns calories to generate heat. During the study, the researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center analyzed the records of 1,972 patients who had undergone PET/CT scans and found that the amount of brown fat in the body changes with many factors such as age, obesity, glucose levels etc. They also found that brown fat was present in large amounts in younger people compared to adults.
The study also revealed that amount of brown fat may be very little in people with higher Body Mass Index (BMI), that means those who are overweight and obese people. So, the researchers suggested that there might be a role of brown fat in regulating the body weight. Higher levels of brown fat may even prevent age-related obesity. On the other hand obesity is one of the prime risk factors of type 2 diabetes. So, if somehow development of brown fat could be stimulated later in life, it will not only stop obesity but will also reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Now, the researchers hope that their findings will open doors for development of some special therapies to stimulate brown fat in later stage of life. So, our own good fat or brown fat will save us from obesity and from the risk of diabetes!
