Trajkovski group publishes in Cell Metabolism how caloric restriction browns white fat
The group of Prof. Mirko Trajkovski recently published a research article entitled “Caloric restriction leads to browning of white adipose tissue through type 2 immune signaling” (Fabbiano et. al; 2016) in the journal Cell Metabolism.
Caloric restriction (CR, a low calorie diet that does not incur malnutrition), extends lifespan from yeast to mammals, delays onset of age-associated diseases, and improves metabolic health. The authors show that CR stimulates the development of functional beige fat within several types of fat deposits such as visceral and subcutaneous fat, in both lean and obese mice. These effects are mediated by type 2 cytokine signalling and changes in macrophages within fat deposits towards an “M2” phenotype that helps decrease inflammation and promote tissue repair. In animals where type 2 signalling is genetically suppressed (both whole-body knockouts and bone marrow-transplanted mice) CR no longer induced browning and fat loss. These results provide insights into the overall energy homeostasis during CR, and they suggest beige fat development is a common feature in conditions of negative energy balance.
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Posted by: P. Nunes and S. Ljubicic
31 Aug 2016