Protein hampers the positive power of brown and beige fat
Their studies of the protein Id1 also show high levels reduce conversion of unhealthy white fat to a more energy burning beige. Their findings indicate the protein is a significant risk factor for diabetes and obesity and a molecular target to reverse both. "If we can target Id1, we may able to prevent these detrimental changes and ultimately reduce the risk of obesity and related disease," said Dr. Satya Ande, molecular biologist at the Georgia Cancer Center and Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Ande is corresponding author of the study in the journal Diabetes . Ande's research team is now screening compounds to find ones that suppress Id1 and ideally also actively promote energy burning and conversion of white fat to beige. For the study, they generated a mouse that over-generated Id1 in fat cells. On a high-fat diet, these mice gained a lot more weight than their normal counterparts. They even gained more weight on a regular diet. The scienti...