A specialized fat molecule, called cardiolipin, that is made within the body's own fat cells, is far more significant to the body's overall state of health than previously realized.
A specialized fat molecule, called cardiolipin, that is made within the body's own fat cells, is far more significant to the body's overall state of health than previously realized.
Large amounts of cardiolipin produced in the fat cells’ mitochondria – or so-called powerhouses – result in stronger calorie-burning while low amounts of the molecule are related to obesity and type 2 diabetes, a new study conducted at the University of Copenhagen shows.
- Brown fat is a fascinating and unique type of fat tissue that actually burns calories rather than stores them. Now we have learned that the fat molecule, cardiolipin, functions almost like an “on-off switch” for the activity of our brown fat. Switching off production of cardiolipin in mice leads to insulin resistance, which is the cornerstone of diabetes, says Associate Professor Zach Gerhart-Hines from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research and senior author of the study.
Burn More Calories
A brown fat cell functions as a microscopic biological furnace that warms the body. The study, which has just been published in the scientific journal, Cell Metabolism, started out by examining what happens in the fat cells of mice that are exposed to cold temperature, where brown fat is pushed to burn energy at full throttle. The researchers found that the mitochondria produced a lot of the molecule, cardiolipin. However, in order to understand how this could affect energy balance and health, they had to develop new tools.
Read more at University of Copenhagen The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
