Does Browning of Adipose Tissue By Heart Hormones Promote Weight Loss?
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Brown Fat Cells in White Fat Tissue
A common finding in people with severe heart failure is that they lose weight – often dramatic amounts despite eating as many, if not more, calories than before. In these patients, this “unintentional” weight loss or “cardiac cachexia” is never a good sign – indeed, it is often a sure sign that the end is near.
As discussed in a short review article by Sheila Collins (Orlando, USA) and Marica Bordicchia (Ancona, Italy) published in ADIPOCYTE, suggests that a synergistic action of the sympathetic nervous system together with high levels of natriuretic peptide (a hormone produced in large amounts by failing hearts) may stimulate “browning” of adipose tissue thereby burning a considerable amount of calories to produce weight loss.
Although the interaction between these systems is complex, these findings may point to novel ways of stimulating browning of fat tissue – the Holy Grail to those who see “boosting metabolism” as a way to burn off those extra calories.
@DrSharma
Edmonton, AB
Collins S, & Bordicchia M (2013). Heart hormones fueling a fire in fat. Adipocyte, 2 (2), 104-8 PMID: 23805407
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Wednesday, July 3, 2013
This article shows that cold weather-induced increases in brown fat may worsen arteriosclerosis through increases in LDL and cause the increase in heart disease deaths that is obsrved in winter:
http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/retrieve/pii/S1550413113002477
If that is true, then increasing brown fat might end up being too risky as a weight-loss strategy, which would be a shame.