Gut Microbiota Influences Conversion of White Fat to Brown and Calorie Burning
Researchers in molecular biology from Japan, the USA, and Europe have uncovered a sequence of interactions linking the gut microbiota, the liver, and adipose tissue, which contributes to fat stores incinerating excess calories rather than accumulating them. This finding was reported by the press service of the American medical facility, City of Hope.
The Role of Bacteria in Dietary Signaling
According to City of Hope Assistant Professor, Kenji Honda, the microbes within the gut flora monitor the contents of consumed food and generate signals that prompt fatty tissue to burn calories. Consequently, the microbiota plays an active role in governing metabolic energy balance.
White vs. Brown Adipose Tissue
Mammalian bodies contain white fat, responsible for storing calories, and brown fat, which is thermogenic, i.e., it burns them. Professor Honda and his team demonstrated that diets comparatively low in protein activate specific microbes. These activated microbes then encourage the transformation of white fat into brown fat by facilitating the production of bile acids and the hormone FGF21.
Therapeutic Horizons
The identification of this biological pathway opens avenues for creating treatments that could enable human adipose tissue to burn calories even when individuals maintain a standard diet. Scientists believe such strategies hold significant promise as an effective approach against obesity.
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