How the body regulates energy: the discovery that changes the fight against obesity and diabetes
Not all fat gets fat: the power of beige adipose tissue according to Shingo Kajimura, professor at Harvard Medical School
Scientific evidence has made it clear that metabolism is not simply related to the balance between calories introduced and consumed, but that there is a complex set of signals that regulate how the body produces, uses and dissipates energy. Among the key players in this system is adipose tissue, which, in addition to its reserve function, plays an active role in maintaining energy balance. One of the most significant discoveries in this field concerns the so-called beige fat - so called to emphasise that it is intermediate between white and brown fat - a population of cells in white adipose tissue that, when stimulated by hormones or cold, become capable of burning energy to generate heat. This process helps maintain a stable body temperature and at the same time reduce fat accumulation.
The topic was the focus of Future Trends in Translational Medicine, a conference organised in late October in Naples by Human Technopole and Nature Italy at the Federico II University. The meeting brought together researchers, clinicians and industry representatives to discuss how to transform biological knowledge into therapeutic applications. Among the speakers was Shingo Kajimura, professor at Harvard Medical School, whose studies on brown and beige adipose tissue have helped to clarify how the body regulates energy expenditure and which mechanisms can become tools for more preventive and personalised medicine.
Shingo Kajimura, to what extent has the discovery of beige adipose tissue changed the understanding of metabolism and obesity?
"For decades, body fat was considered only an energy reserve, but today we know that it is an active and dynamic tissue, capable of contributing directly to the control of the energy balance and regulation of metabolism. Specifically, beige cells, hidden in white fat, can be reactivated to function like brown adipose tissue, burning energy and producing heat. Stimuli such as exposure to cold or the secretion of specific activity-related hormones can trigger this transformation. It is an evolutionary adaptation mechanism that allows the body to defend itself against excess energy by converting it into heat instead of storing it. This discovery has shifted the focus from simple calorie counting to a more sophisticated understanding of metabolism, and paves the way for new strategies to treat obesity and diabetes, not only by reducing calorie intake, but by enhancing energy consumption in a controlled and physiological manner'.
In your work you have shown that exercise can activate beige fat through specific hormones: what implications could this have for future medicine?
