Too Good to Be True? Fat That Keeps You Thin

sea-maid submitted, created time 2 months 1 week (www.sciam.com)

Scientists have stumbled on a chemical in the body that could one day prevent or reverse diseases linked to obesity.

Researchers at Harvard University's School of Public Health (H.S.P.H.) report in Cell that palmitoleate, a newly discovered hormone produced by fat cells, is also a fatty acid. (Most hormones are proteins

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Fat Molecule Fights Weight Gain

jerry submitted, created time 2 months 1 week (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

Rearchers have isolated a fat molecule in mice that prevents the animals from storing more fat. The discovery could open a new front in the battle against the bulge if the molecule has the same effect in humans.

The word "fat" typically evokes the image of clogged arteries or cellulite jiggling on a thigh. But fat has a good side, too. Fat cells make up adipose tissue, which helps regulate insulin levels and breaks down dietary fat for energy. This breakdown is accomplished via proteins in fat cells called fatty acidinding proteins

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And fat go on?

Fat cells don’t lose

kavin submitted, created time 6 months 3 weeks (www.sciencenews.org)

Obese people have about twice the number of fat cells as normal-weight adults and fat cells are bigger in the obese people than in their lean counterparts.

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Insulin Secretion Aided By Message From Fat Cells

june submitted, created time 1 year 3 weeks (www.medicalnewstoday.com)

In a study using laboratory mice, published in the November 7, 2007 issue of Cell Metabolism, scientists at the School of Medicine report that fat cells release a protein that aids insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells, which are the sole source of insulin. The protein is an enzyme that the pancreatic cells themselves produce in only minimal amounts. The enzyme works to enhance glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells.

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