Study finds what makes calorie-burning "brown fat"

[Kadri]

OK guys and girls , we can in the future sit more then ever on our chairs looking at TG2 on our computers 

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6455AO20100506

[Tangled-Universe]

Ah that's a new article from Science which I hadn't seen yet, thanks
Funny to see this posted here, since this is the exact same field I'm working in here in The Netherlands.
Only difference is, is that we're testing a drug which basically does the same, except that it possibly works through other pathways than the PG pathway described here, which is not the only pathway for making brown fat.

Martin

[Walli]

as interesting as this is, I think it´s risky because I already see what will happen. If it works, people will see even less urge to eat less and to move more. So if this technique would be introduced to the "masses", the only thing that would happen is: people would eat even more, people would do less exercise.

Used in the right context, that could be a very good thing though.

[Tangled-Universe]

as interesting as this is, I think it´s risky because I already see what will happen. If it works, people will see even less urge to eat less and to move more. So if this technique would be introduced to the "masses", the only thing that would happen is: people would eat even more, people would do less exercise.

Used in the right context, that could be a very good thing though.

Especially the latter is concerning. The aim of us researchers is usage in the right context, but we all know where it possibly might end up being used.

[leafspring]

So this discovery will basically end up as pills that make you loose weight whithout the need of exercise or any dietary change? Doesn't sound very healthy.

[Tangled-Universe]

So this discovery will basically end up as pills that make you loose weight whithout the need of exercise or any dietary change? Doesn't sound very healthy.

It changes the composition of your fat from white fat (belly-fat etc.) to brown fat (also called baby-fat). This type of fat is not "designed" to store energy in the form of fat but to expend/burn it. So in principle this should not have any negative side-effect.

Basically the most interest for this kind of research is not in the context of making pills to loose weight.
Mainly the diabetic research field is interested, since white fat is responsible for the metabolic syndrome via chronic inflammation to reduced insulin-sensitivity to reduced glucose uptake to increased energy storage to expansion of the fat-depots...this is a chronic spiraling effect resulting in diabetes for instance.

A drug like this restores the metabolic function by changing the fat-profile.

[Kadri]

Interesting !Thanks , Tangled-Universe 

Are there any predictions how long such a drug takes for the effect and the possible price($) for it ?

[Tangled-Universe]

No idea. What scientific researchers do, but pharmaceuticals also of course, is researching these kind of mechanisms. Either the pharmaceutical finds it themselves and otherwise they will "buy" the knowledge from the researcher. Either be it through coorporation or money.
Anyhow. In general: what you read now in the news/papers will take certainly about 8 years before you will have it.

[Kadri]

OK! Thanks , Tangled-Universe