Boosting a lipid fuel makes mice less sensitive to the cold
"We uncovered a well-controlled process for mobilizing energy to the tissues that need it," explains senior author Claudio Villanueva, Ph.D., assistant professor of Biochemistry at U of U Health. Expanding on these findings could lead to a therapy for cold sensitivity. As reported online in Cell Metabolism on Sept. 5, the supplement works by boosting levels of a newly discovered fuel source for brown fat, a "good fat" that generates body heat in response to the cold. Lighting the Fire Within While humans have only small amounts of brown fat, it is far more prevalent in mice that must adapt to the cold in order to survive. Unlike white fat that stores calories, this active fat burns energy to maintain the body's core temperature. Villanueva and his team clued into a different outlook on cold adaptation after determining that circulating levels of a waxy lipid called acylcarnitines fluctuated in response to the cold. Levels shot up in young mice as th...