Skip to main content

Scientists Find Hidden Amino Acid 'Switch' That Helps In Natural Fat Loss

Scientists in the United States have discovered a biological "switch" that could play a vital role in weight loss. The research highlights the importance of the amino acid cysteine, showing that its depletion can trigger the conversion of white fat, which stores energy, into brown fat, which burns calories and produces heat.

This process, the researchers explained, helps make the body's metabolic functions more efficient, offering a new way to understand how calorie reduction leads to weight loss. While earlier studies suggested cysteine might influence fat activity, this is the first direct evidence of its key role.

According to the team, keeping cysteine levels in check may serve as a new pathway for developing therapies to fight obesity and promote healthier metabolism.

"In addition to the dramatic weight loss and increase in fat burning resulting from the removal of cysteine, the amino acid is also central to redox balance and redox pathways in biology," said Dr Stadler, who directs the Oxidative Stress and Disease laboratory at Pennington Biomedical. "These results suggest future weight management strategies that might not rely exclusively on reducing caloric intake."

The research is based on results from trials involving both human participants and animal models. For the human trials, researchers examined fat tissue samples taken from trial participants who had actively restricted calorie intake over a year. When examining the fat tissue samples, they looked for changes in the thousands of metabolites, which are compounds formed when the body breaks down food and stores energy. The exploration of these metabolites indicated a reduced level of cysteine. 

"Reverse translation of a human caloric restriction trial identified a new player in energy metabolism," said Dr Ravussin, who holds the Douglas L Gordon Chair in Diabetes and Metabolism at Pennington Biomedical and oversees its Human Translation Physiology Lab. "Systemic cysteine depletion in mice causes weight loss with increased fat utilisation and browning of adipocytes."

The study has been featured in Nature Metabolism, a leading academic journal.



from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/fsJ6n3R
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Delhi to Get More EV Charging, Battery Swapping Stations as Cab Aggregators Increase E-Bikes

The NDMC is planning to increase the number of EV charging stations in Lutyens' Delhi and even provide battery swapping facilities at some of these points, a senior official said on Wednesday. With Delhi being among the most polluted capitals in the world, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has been making a push for electric vehicles to nudge residents to opt for cleaner vehicle options. There are around 100 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the national capital at present and this would be the first time that some of them would have battery swapping facilities, which is quite prominent in Western countries, he said. The official said the aim is to provide easy accessibility to charging stations and to save time by providing swapping facilities. This will give a major push to EVs in the city. Various PSUs, including the Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL) and the Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KELTRON), have approac...
Post a Comment
Read more

After Nitish Kumar's 'Praise', BJP Says Doors Closed For Him

The opposition BJP in Bihar on Thursday said that its doors were "closed" for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who dumped the saffron party a year ago, stripping it of power in the state. State BJP President Samrat Choudhary made the averment to this effect in reply to queries from journalists about the Janata Dal United leader's address to the convocation ceremony of Mahatma Gandhi Central University at Motihari. Speaking in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu and Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Mr Kumar had freely spoken of the tussle he had with the then Congress government at the Centre for getting a university approved for Motihari, where Mahatma Gandhi had launched the Champaran Satyagraha. Without mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi by name, Mr Kumar acknowledged that the project saw the light of the day only after a change of guard "in 2014" as the UPA government "initially refused and after much persuasion agreed in principle but did not move for...
Post a Comment
Read more

In Kareena Kapoor's Workout Video, Little Jeh Steals The Show

Kareena Kapoor has the best “workout buddy” – her little son Jeh. The Internet agrees. The actress, who often shares glimpses of her fitness routines, posted a similar clip on Wednesday. This time, she wasn't the one who grabbed all the attention of her fans. An adorable Jeh stole the show by making a short appearance in Kareena's workout video. He is seen wearing a green tee and grey shorts while trying to climb the aerobic stepper. Kareena Kapoor, who is busy maintaining balance on the bench in the video, tries to hold her son with one hand so that he doesn't fall. Giving her fans a sneak peek into her “mom life,” the actress wrote, “Working out with my best workout buddy (blushing, heart eye, biceps and red heart icons).” She also added the hashtags “mom life,” “midweek balance,” “The Crew” (her next film) and “workout” to her caption. Kareena's workout song, this time, was Guru Randhawa's Moon Rise. Producer Rhea Kapoor, who is working with Kareena Kapoor on T...
Post a Comment
Read more