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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >> That is, until imaging specialists mentioned that they had been seeing this type of tissue for years while studying cancer patients, basically considering it a nuisance factor.
"It was in a corner of the scientific literature the rest of us were not necessarily aware of," Cypess said. "Nuclear medicine experts didn't like it, because it gets in the way of seeing tumors."
So scientists interested in metabolism harnessed the latest imaging technologies to investigate this lost piece of the obesity puzzle.
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Using combined positron-emission tomographic and computed tomographic (PET-CT) scans, Cypess and his team found a wide prevalence of brown fat tissue in human adults. It was twice as common in women as in men (7.5 percent versus 3.1 percent).
The fat was indicative of overall leanness, the researchers noted, since heavier people, especially older, heavier people, had less brown fat than skinnier folk. People taking beta blockers -- drugs used to treat high blood pressure and other conditions -- also tended to have less brown fat. Beta-blockers have been linked with weight gain.
Younger adults had more brown fat, and this type of fat was more active in colder weather, stated the authors, who were supported by funds from various sources, including drug makers Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co.
In a second study, also published in the journal, Dutch researchers found that all but one of 24 young men studied had brown fat. Yet in keeping with the previous study's findings, brown fat was less active in males who were carrying extra pounds.
The tissue was also active in cold temperatures only, which makes sense, given our need to keep warm in colder climes and seasons.
The final study, from researchers in Finland and Sweden, showed that brown fat tissue in adults was activated by lower temperatures, a finding that could shed light on how humans expend energy.
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