Second type of brown fat discovered

Researchers from University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have published their discovery of a second type of brown fat cell in humans, in this weeks Nature Medicine. Brown fat cells, or brown adipose tissue, have the unique ability to burn energy to create heat, as opposed to white adipose tissue, which store the body’s energy surplus.

Having more brown fat is already known to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and so with the discovery of a second type of brown fat type, it is hoped that methods could be developed to stimulate the cells so that some of the surplus energy we store in the form of fat tissue can be converted into heat. Such treatments could prevent or reverse obesity, and reduce the risk of developing obesity related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.

After discovering the new type of brown fat in rats, the researchers used a combination of high-resolution imaging techniques and histological and biochemical analysis to identify the cells in human infants. They found an anatomically distinguishable depot of brown fat cells between the shoulder blades in human infants, that consisted of the new type of brown fat cell.

According to the study, the newly discovered type of brown fat (named ‘classical brown fat’), is only normally found in young people. and disappears by adolescence. The researchers have the idea of reactivating the cells in older people to treat obesity.