Scientists from Denmark and Germany claim to have found a protein code named AC3-AT to “switch off” the body’s brown fat, also known as brown adipose tissue, to help in the treatment of people suffering from obesity.
Brown fat helps in burning calories into heat, especially in people living in colder regions, and people who are trying to lose excess weight. Researchers noted that the amount of brown fat in the body reduces with the age.
Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Bonn in Germany undertook the study to find out what shuts off the brown fat shortly after it has been active. They believe that knowing how to turn off the switch would help people to burn more fat and reduce weight.
During the study, the research team observed two groups of mice that followed fat-rich diet. One group has AC3-AT protein removed via genetic engineering, whereas the other group carried on the protein.
Hande Topel, first author of the study and a Senior Postdoc at the University of Southern Denmark, noted, “When we investigated mice that genetically didn’t have AC3-AT, we found that they were protected from becoming obese, partly because their bodies were simply better at burning off calories and were able to increase their metabolic rates through activating brown fat.”
“The mice that have no AC3-AT protein, also accumulated less fat in their body and increased their lean mass when compared to the control mice,” study co-author Ronja Kardinal added. “As AC3-AT is found not only in mice but also in humans and other species, there are direct therapeutic implications for humans.”
The findings published in Nature Metabolism also noted that the easiest way to activate brown fat is to expose the body to cold conditions. For example, working-out in the cold weather would enhance the metabolism and help the person to burn calories.
“Understanding these kinds of molecular mechanisms not only sheds light on the regulation of brown fat but also holds promise for unraveling similar mechanisms in other cellular pathways. This knowledge can be instrumental in advancing our understanding of various diseases and in the development of novel treatments,” says co-corresponding author Prof. Kornfeld, University of Southern Denmark.
Along with AC3-AT, the researchers also discovered unknown protein versions of AC3, which are similar to brown fat. However, the scientists stressed that further research is required to find the therapeutic impact of these proteins.
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