White Fat

Local heat therapy induces browning of adipose tissue in mice and humans, a study finds, suggesting it could help treat obesity—though some experts have reservations.

Paul Cohen of the Rockefeller University describes his study of thousands of people, finding that the energy-burning tissue is tied to a lower risk of for several diseases, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Hanging in front of the abdomen like an apron, the depot of visceral fat known as the omentum helps regulate immune responses.

Animals lacking a sense of smell stayed thinner than their smelling counterparts, despite eating the same amount.

Researchers pinpoint the neurons within white fat tissue that mediate brain-bound leptin signaling and eventual fat breakdown.

Following extreme trauma, patients’ adipose samples have revealed—for the first time in humans—that white fat can be converted into energy-burning brown fat.

See-through organs and animals; distinguishing white from brown and beige fat cells; chipping away at genetic mosaicism; catching up with the blogger behind Street Anatomy

Researchers have identified three fat cell-specific surface markers that distinguish white from brown and beige adipocytes.

Conversion of white fat to brown is associated with muscle atrophy and weight loss in cancer patients.

Researchers discover that unlike brown fat cells, white fat cells can directly sense cooling temperatures to switch on genes that control heat production.