Researchers at Rutgers Health have made an exciting discovery about brown fat that could help people stay physically fit as they age.
Their study, conducted on mice, found that removing a specific gene led to the development of a powerful form of brown fat.
This special fat improved exercise performance by about 30% and extended lifespan by 20%. Now, scientists are working on a drug that could create similar effects in humans.
Dr. Stephen Vatner, senior researcher of the study, explained why this finding is important. “As people get older, their ability to exercise decreases.
If we can find a way to boost exercise performance, it could greatly improve health in aging,” said Vatner, who is also the director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
What is Brown Fat?
Unlike regular white fat, which stores energy, brown fat burns calories and helps regulate body temperature. This study revealed that brown fat also plays a key role in exercise capacity by improving blood flow to muscles during activity.
The researchers genetically modified mice to remove a protein called RGS14. These mice produced large amounts of active brown fat, which made them stronger and faster than normal mice. They could run longer before getting tired and performed better in exercise tests.
Brown Fat’s Role in Healthy Aging
The modified mice did not just exercise better; they also aged more slowly. They lived about 20% longer than normal mice, with females showing a greater lifespan increase than males—similar to patterns seen in humans. They also looked healthier in old age, avoiding common aging signs like hair loss and graying.
Beyond exercise, their brown fat protected them from several serious diseases, including:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Alzheimer’s disease
These findings suggest that boosting brown fat could have a wide range of health benefits.
Testing the Benefits of Brown Fat
To confirm that brown fat was responsible for these benefits, researchers transplanted it from the modified mice into normal mice. Within days, the normal mice began to show similar improvements in fitness and health. In contrast, mice that received regular brown fat from normal mice only showed mild improvements after eight weeks.
This experiment confirmed that the unique brown fat in the modified mice was the key factor in their increased lifespan and exercise performance.
A Step Toward a New Drug
Dr. Vatner believes that this discovery could lead to a new way to help people live longer, healthier lives. While modern medicine has helped people live longer, it has not necessarily improved the quality of those extra years. Many people still develop diseases such as heart failure, obesity, and diabetes as they age.
Rather than trying to create an all-in-one anti-aging drug, which is difficult to approve for medical use, the Rutgers team is focusing on developing a treatment that improves exercise performance and metabolism. They are already working on a drug that could mimic the effects of brown fat and expect to begin testing it in about a year.
Can Brown Fat Be Increased Naturally?
While waiting for a drug, are there natural ways to boost brown fat? One option is exposure to cold temperatures. Studies have shown that spending time in the cold can activate brown fat and improve metabolism. However, these studies have been short-term, and their long-term effects on aging are still unknown.
Dr. Vatner also pointed out that most people would prefer to take a pill rather than expose themselves to ice baths. This is why he is optimistic about developing a medication that can safely and effectively boost brown fat levels in humans.
Final Thoughts
This discovery offers a promising new approach to improving fitness and longevity. By increasing brown fat, it may be possible to help people stay active as they age, reduce the risk of major diseases, and extend healthy lifespans. If researchers succeed in developing a drug that mimics these effects, it could revolutionize the way we approach aging and health in the future.
If you care about muscle, please read studies about factors that can cause muscle weakness in older people, and scientists find a way to reverse high blood sugar and muscle loss.
For more health information, please see recent studies about an easy, cheap way to maintain muscles, and results showing these vegetables essential for your muscle strength.
The research findings can be found in Aging.
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