Obesity is an American epidemic. Greater than 40 percent of Americans are obese. This isn’t an excellent situation since obesity is a harbinger of coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and a few varieties of cancer. Now, Harvard scientists have found a possible solution to interrupt down that extra body fat.

In a study published within the journal Nature Metabolism, diet-induced obese mice models were in a position to improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance while resolving obesity-induced inflammation once they were subjected to cold temperatures around 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Extensive evidence indicates that obesity and metabolic syndrome are linked with chronic inflammation that results in systemic insulin resistance, so interrupting inflammation in obesity could offer promising therapies for obesity-related disease,” said co-author Yu-Hua Tseng, professor of medication at Harvard Medical School.  

Throughout the study, the mice were fed an ordinary high-fat western weight loss plan which led to obesity development in them. These mice models were compared to regulate group animals which were maintained at a thermoneutral zone- the temperature at which the body doesn’t have to generate heat to take care of its core temperature.

The researchers from Brigham and the Joslin Diabetes Center found that the mechanism was depending on brown adipose tissue or “good fat.” When exposed to cold temperatures, these fat tissues released a naturally occurring molecule called Maresin 2.

“We discovered that cold exposure reduced inflammation and improved metabolism in obesity, mediated a minimum of partially by the activation of brown adipose tissue. These findings suggest a previously unrecognized function of brown adipose tissue in promoting the resolution of inflammation in obesity,” Tseng added.

Maresin 2 was found to play a pivotal role within the experiment.

“We found that brown fat produces Maresin 2, which resolves inflammation systemically and within the liver,” said co-author Matthew Spite, Associate Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School. “These findings suggest a previously unrecognized function of brown adipose tissue in promoting the resolution of inflammation in obesity via the production of this necessary lipid mediator.”

The outcomes suggest that Maresin 2 might be utilized in clinical therapy for patients with obesity, metabolic disease, or other diseases linked to chronic inflammation. Unfortunately, the lipid mediator breaks down quickly within the body. Tseng and colleagues wish to search out a more stable chemical analog of Maresin 2 for clinical use.