fat

How belly fat differs from thigh fat—and why it matters

by Heather Buschman, Ph.D. on January 9, 2013 at 6:20 am | 4 Comments

Researchers discover that the genes active in a person’s belly fat are significantly different from those in his or her thigh fat, a finding that could shift the way we approach unwanted belly fat—from banishing it to relocating it.

Men tend to store fat in the abdominal area, but don’t usually have much in the way of hips or thighs. Women, on the other hand, are more often pear-shaped—storing more fat on their hips and thighs than in the belly.

Why are women and men shaped differently?

The answer still isn’t clear, but it’s an issue worth investigating, says Steven Smith, M.D., director of the Florida Hospital – Sanford-Burnham Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes. That’s because belly fat is associated with higher risks of heart disease and diabetes. On the other hand, hip and thigh fat don’t seem to play a special role in these conditions.

Super-sized Fruit Flies

by Heather Buschman, Ph.D. on November 2, 2010 at 1:13 pm | 0 Comments

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It’s no secret that being overweight is hard on the heart – many studies have shown that heavier people are more likely to suffer from heart disease. But why, exactly? What does fat have to do with your heart?

There are numerous causes of obesity and other risk factors for heart disease, making it difficult to tease them apart. So a team led by Drs. Sean Oldham, Rolf Bodmer and Ryan Birse created a simple model to study the genes linking high-fat diet, obesity and heart dysfunction. Using fruit flies, they discovered that a protein called TOR influences fat accumulation in the heart. Their study, published November 3 in the journal Cell Metabolism, also demonstrates that manipulating TOR protects the hearts of obese flies from damage caused by high-fat diets.

Targeting mitochondria to combat obesity

by Heather Buschman, Ph.D. on September 3, 2010 at 11:53 am | 4 Comments

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How is fat tissue from an obese person different from a thin person’s fat tissue? Dr. Sheila Collins and her colleagues at Sanford-Burnham’s Diabetes and Obesity Research Centerrecently discovered one major distinguishing feature – fat tissue from obese people doesn’t oxidize fatty acids as well as that from thinner people.Fat cells use fatty acids for energy. But in response to adrenaline, fat tissue can also release fatty acids into the bloodstream for use by other tissues, such as heart and muscle. This latest study, published in the journal Diabetes, revealed that obese fat tissue was not as good as non-obese fat tissue at consuming fatty acids for energy. This might be one of the reasons why obese fat tissue releases more fatty acids into the bloodstream. And although fatty acids are an important source of energy for other tissues, too much of it in the blood – a condition frequently seen in obesity – is believed to lead to type 2 diabetes and cause detrimental heart problems.

“Fat” man

by Josh Baxt on August 13, 2010 at 12:21 pm | 4 Comments

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Dr. Philip Wood is immersed in fat: fat metabolism, fatty acids, fat signaling, fatty liver disease. Dr. Wood, a professor in the Metabolic Signaling and Disease program at Sanford-Burnham’s Lake Nona campus, is trying to unravel the consequences of too much fat.

“I’m interested in how the body reacts to excess fat and how fat metabolism and the genetics of fat metabolism play a role in insulin resistance and fatty liver disease,” says Dr. Wood.

Given that recent statistics show a third of Americans are obese, the research being done by Dr. Wood and others could have a profound impact on the nation’s health. One key focus is the underlying genetics that make certain people susceptible to disease.

Brown fat: not just for babies and bears

by Heather Buschman, Ph.D. on July 29, 2010 at 8:41 am | 5 Comments

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Brown fat cells

Sanford-Burnham’s Dr. Sheila Collins recently returned from Stockholm, where she attended a meeting on brown fat (also called brown adipose tissue) and obesity, held in conjunction with the XI International Congress on Obesity. Brown fat, which helps generate heat, was historically thought to be limited to small mammals such as rodents, newborns of larger mammals (including humans), and hibernators – in order for them to stay warm. Scientists used to think that brown fat disappeared after infancy, but recent advances in imaging technology led to a rediscovery of brown fat in adult humans. This meeting brought together scientists studying the basic biology of brown fat tissue and its possible role in adults in order to figure out how all this information can be applied to fight obesity.

The skinny on fat resistance

by Heather Buschman, Ph.D. on June 3, 2010 at 8:31 am | 1 comment

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Dr. Philip Wood, professor in Sanford-Burnham’s Diabetes and Obesity Research Center at Lake Nona, Florida, co-authored a study showing that obesity-resistant mice could be genetically engineered by deleting an enzyme that helps break down fatty acids. The study, which appeared May 5 in the journal Cell Metabolism, was co-led by Dr. Wood and Dr. Gerald Shulman of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Yale University.

In the study, mice lacking the gene – called VLCAD – were fed a high-fat diet. Since VLCAD is necessary for normal fatty acid metabolism and the production of cellular energy, the scientists figured that disrupting the gene’s function would inhibit metabolism and lead to weight gain and other ailments. However, instead of packing on extra fat, the mice were actually protected from obesity and insulin resistance (an early stage of type 2 diabetes). The researchers think that VLCAD deficiency triggers a back-up mechanism that acts like an emergency generator, compensating for the loss of the enzyme.

“This study illustrates the power of a genetic mouse model to tease apart different components of the fat burning process and insulin resistance, a common side effect of obesity,” Dr. Wood explained. “By inactivating this one step in fat burning, we activated two different drug targets currently used to treat problems of excess fat in human patients.”

Dr. Wood was also interviewed in a recent story about obesity by WJRT-TV, the ABC affiliate in Flint, Michigan.

Researchers receive $3.5 million in NIH grants

by Josh Baxt on May 5, 2010 at 11:59 am | 0 Comments

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Two researchers at Sanford-Burnham at Lake Nona have received grants to study heart disease and how fat cells function in the body.Lake Nona Scientific Director Dr. Daniel Kelly will be collaborating with Dr. Deborah M. Muoio of the Stedman Center at Duke University to investigate the metabolic basis of heart failure. The $2.9 million, four-year grant will help researchers better understand the mechanisms that cause heart disease and identify potential drug targets for heart failure.

Dr. Sheila Collins received a $525,000, two-year grant to study how beta-adrenergic receptors on fat cells regulate growth. This research will enhance our understanding of how fat cells contribute to metabolic syndrome and could also lead to new drug targets.

There’s more to fat

by Josh Baxt on April 20, 2010 at 3:38 pm | 3 Comments

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Sheila Collins, Ph.D., recently joined Sanford-Burnham at Lake Nona as a professor in the Metabolic Signaling and Disease program. Her lab is interested in fat metabolism. Until the mid-1990s, adipose (fat) tissue had been largely considered an inert storage depot for excess metabolic fuel, much like a savings bank. There is now a better understanding of how fat cells secrete key hormones that play help regulate body weight and insulin sensitivity.

How belly fat differs from thigh fat—and why it matters

Super-sized Fruit Flies

Targeting mitochondria to combat obesity

“Fat” man

Brown fat: not just for babies and bears

The skinny on fat resistance

Researchers receive $3.5 million in NIH grants

There’s more to fat

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