How to burn fat? Endogenous heat production to combat metabolic diseases

Dr. Francisco Verdeguer, Department for Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, UZH

Most mammals living in cold environments possess a special form of fat tissue called brown adipose tissue which generates heat by consuming a large amount of nutrients. The presence of brown adipose tissue was also observed in human babies, but it was thought to disappear through adulthood. However, recent discoveries have also identified the tissue in human adults. Obesity, a worldwide epidemic affecting 20% of the Swiss population, is a disorder caused by an imbalance of the energetic metabolism and can lead to type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. We also know today that brown adipose tissue can regulate the whole body energy balance and may also protect against metabolic disorders. Many questions still need to be answered, but promising advances are setting the ground for novel therapeutic strategies to unlock the full potential of thermogenesis in humans.

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