'Brown fat' breakthrough may help obese

Australian scientists believe "brown fat", a wondrous tissue that burns energy to generate heat, could help people fight obesity, media reported on Monday.

A research team from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research (GIMR) has worked out how to grow brown fat from stem cells biopsied from adults, raising hopes that one day brown fat could be transplanted in obese people to speed up calories they burn, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported.

Garvan endocrinologist Paul Lee, who led the research, is optimistic about targeting brown fat as an obesity intervention, commenting, "It's a highly metabolically active form of fat, and very exciting that we may be able to stimulate its growth in people."

People are born with supplies of brown fat around their neckline to keep them warm as infants, according to scientists at GIMR.

Scientists now know that brown fat is present in most, if not all, adults mainly just behind the collarbone.

Studies have found that adults with brown fat are slimmer than those without.

"Although this is early work, it is a proof of concept study showing that the growth of brown fat cells is possible, using precursor cells taken from adult humans, under appropriate stimulation," Lee says.

AFP-Reuters