- Obesity is a condition that can increase the risk of specific health problems, such as type 2 diabetes.
- There are different types of fat that affect the body differently; white fat cells, for example, store additional energy, while brown fat cells help convert fat into energy.
- A recent study found that the metabolite myristoylglycine helped convert white fat cells to brown fat cells, which may aid in weight loss.
Maintaining a healthy amount of body fat is part of overall wellness. It also lowers the risk of specific health problems, making it a critical factor in preventative medicine. However, experts are still researching the best methods to help people who work to maintain or achieve a healthy body composition.
a recent to study published in metabolites found that a specific metabolite may be vital in helping some people lose excess body weight. They found that this product of metabolism could help convert fat into a form that is easier to burn.
Everyone has unique nutritional needs, and there are various body types and weight needs. An overweight person has a higher risk of suffering from health problems. People with obesity are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and coronary heart disease.
wendy sirregistered dietitian who was not involved in this current research, explained to Today’s medical news:
“Since the 1980s, obesity has increased rapidly and is now called a modern plague. This problem is closely related to other medical conditions and can lead to joint pain, cardiovascular disease, stroke, or type 2 diabetes. Excess weight not only takes away a lot of energy, but also makes it difficult to move freely and easily, for example , climb stairs without shortness of breath”.
While some people can lose weight without medical intervention, others require more help from doctors to reach a weight that is right for them.
Experts are working to understand which medications and treatments are most effective in helping people lose weight. One area of interest has to do with the differences between types of fat.
Wendy Lord noted the key differences between white fat and brown fat:
“Brown fat and white fat are made up of different cells. White fat is made up of large droplets of lipids or fatty acids. Brown fat cells are packed with mitochondria. Mitochondria are rich in iron, which gives brown fat its color. They are the heart of your cells. They absorb nutrients like sugar and white fat and break them down to produce energy.”
brown fat vs. white fat
“Brown fat stores more energy in a smaller space than white fat. White fat sits on our waist, hips, and thighs and stores energy, releasing fatty acids when fuel is required. Overeating over a long period of time causes white blood cells to swell, resulting in obesity.”
— Wendy Lord
The researchers in this current study were looking for a way to help convert white adipose tissue to brown adipose tissue. To do this, they began to search for various therapies that could help promote this process.
Because they wanted their research to eventually transfer to use with people, they focused on drugs that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had already approved. Finding the right drug to focus on involved an intense and targeted selection process. His research used cell cultures and several different testing methods.
They found that the FDA-approved drug zafirlukast was effective in converting white adipose tissue to brown adipose tissue. However, the researchers noted that zafirlukast is actually toxic to people at higher doses, making use of the drug itself dangerous.
Delving deeper, they discovered that a unique metabolite called myristoylglycine was produced when zafirlukast converted white fat cells to brown fat cells.
After further testing, they found that the myristoylglycine molecule could do the same job as zafirlukast on its own, but without being toxic to cells.
This discovery could lead to a new way to treat obesity and reduce the risk of a variety of problems in people. Non-study author Dr Sameer Muraliobesity medicine specialist at UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann, told MNT:
“Myristoylglycine represents a potential treatment that would essentially work as a ‘fat burner,’ turning white fat cells from fat-storage facilities into shiny fat-burning fat cells.”
“If this discovery is capable of producing a treatment that safely converts white adipose tissue to shiny adipose tissue, that would represent a fundamental shift in our current treatment paradigm. Not only would it represent a great opportunity to treat obesity, but it would also have the potential to positively impact more than 200 conditions associated with obesity.”
—Dr. Sameer Murali
The study had some limitations. For example, he only used cell cultures, so extensive research is still needed before we know if the findings have any potential application in people.
Researchers will need to demonstrate the drug’s efficacy and safety in people and eventually in clinical trials before it becomes clear whether this finding could benefit humans. And if this metabolite is used as a treatment, it may only be appropriate for specific people.
Dr. Murali outlined several components for future research and considerations. He said that while the study and his findings showed “tremendous potential,” more work was needed “to demonstrate the safety of myristoylglycine as a potential treatment.”
“For example, the authors note that existing drugs such as rosiglitazone, which are known to have the same effect, have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. It is unclear whether or not myristoylglycine would have similar adverse effects on other tissues if taken as a drug,” he said. MNT.
“Currently, these findings are limited to demonstrating the ‘darkening’ of white fat cells under laboratory conditions. The next step would be to show that this could be reproduced safely in animals before it can be considered a viable treatment in humans.”
—Dr. Sameer Murali
Overall, this research is an important step toward expanding treatment options to help people achieve a healthy body weight. As research progresses, it could help improve health outcomes for many.
