Surprising Origin of Brown Fat Could Have Implications for Treating Obesity

White fat cells produce and liberate fatty acids as a source of energy when nutritional intake is low. Brown fat cells, in contrast, play an important role in oxidizing fatty acids to produce heat. Stated more simply, white fat cells produce fat, and brown fat cells burn fat. In principle, increasing the ratio of brown fat cells to white fat cells could increase energy expenditure and help to reduce obesity.

White fat cells can turn into brown fat cells, but whether this is the primary way that brown fat cells are created has been unclear. In a new study from Harvard Medical School, researchers found that the primary source of brown fat cells is precursor cells that can turn into either brown fat cells or skeletal muscle cells. These precurs…