Duke-NUS discovers mechanism that controls weight loss

Researchers in Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore (Duke-NUS) has found that brown fat, a potential obesity-fighting target, can be regulated in the body.

There are two types of adipose tissue found in the human body -- white fat (white adipose tissue) and brown fat (brown adipose tissue), the latter is currently under intense study for its potential role in obesity prevention.

Brown fat, which is needed for heat generation in babies, was previously believed to be disappeared as people grow older. The study conducted by Duke-NUS has unveiled that brown fat can still develop in adults, and it can speed up metabolism and burn calories.

Duke-NUS Assistant Professor Sun Lei and his team examined long non-coding RNA (Ribonucleic acid) in fat tissue in mice in their study and created a catalogue of 1,500 long non-coding RNA in mouse adipose tissues.

Duke-NUS stated that researchers were then able to identify a specific long non-coding RNA by using the most comprehensive catalogue ever created of its type. They found that without the specific long non-coding RNA, the brown fat cell cannot develop properly.

The mechanisms that drive or guide the development of brown fat will have therapeutic potential. Duke-NUS said that the next step is to identify such a long non-coding RNA in humans before the new knowledge can be applied. Endi