They discover how to keep brown fat active as you age

The passage of time not only leaves its mark on the skin or bones: it also affects the so-called brown adipose tissuea special fat that helps the body produce heat and burn energy. A study of the University of Barcelona (UB)published in the scientific journal Science Advanceshas identified for the first time a key molecular mechanism which explains why this tissue loses activity over the years.

The results, according to the UB, open new perspectives for reactivate this protective fat and thus prevent metabolic and cardiovascular diseases associated with aging, such as type 2 diabetes wave obesity.

The good fat that protects the heart

Although body fat often has a bad reputation, not everything is the same. He brown adipose tissue —also known as “brown fat”—is very different from the white fat that accumulates in the abdomen or hips. Its main function is produce body heat from fatespecially when the body feels cold or when more calories are ingested than necessary.

This process, called thermogenesisacts as a natural mechanism against overweight and metabolic disorders. The problem is that, with aging, this activity is reduced and the body loses part of its ability to burn energy.

The role of autophagy in aging

The UB study has found one of the keys to this loss of activity. The researchers observed that the activation of brown adipose tissue is linked to a cellular process called “chaperone-mediated autophagy” (CMA). It is a system that degrades and recycles specific proteins inside the cells, helping them function properly.

However, the CMA decreases with agewhich causes brown adipose tissue lose the ability to generate heat and metabolize fat. According to experts, Stimulating this mechanism could be an effective way to keep brown fat active during aging.

According to the UB, acting on it could be a “key action” to modulate tissue activity.

Possible future treatments

For years, the scientific community has tried design drugs that reactivate brown fatbut many of them caused unwanted side effects.

In this new work, the researchers tried aged mice with some of these compounds and verified that adipose tissue maintained its activity and improved metabolismeven at advanced ages.

The next step, the authors explain, will be to study how to act on the CMA safely to stimulate energy expenditure and prevent the negative metabolic effects of obesity and aging.