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Researchers at Rutgers Health have recently uncovered significant findings concerning brown fat that could pave the way for new strategies to maintain physical fitness during aging.
A group from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School discovered that mice with a specific gene deficiency produced a remarkably effective type of brown fat tissue. This alteration resulted in extended lifespans and a notable increase in exercise capacity, estimated at around 30%. The research team is now focusing on developing a drug that may replicate these benefits in humans.
“As we age, our ability to exercise tends to decline, so a method that could enhance physical performance would greatly contribute to a healthier aging process,” stated Stephen Vatner, a university professor and director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute within the medical school’s Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine. Vatner serves as the senior author for the study published in Aging Cell. “The mouse model we studied demonstrates superior exercise performance compared to their standard siblings.”
In contrast to white fat, which serves to store energy, brown fat has the capability to burn calories and assist in thermoregulation. This study has illuminated the critical function of brown fat in boosting exercise capacity by improving blood flow to muscles during physical exertion.
The genetically altered mice exhibited an unusually high production of active brown fat and revealed about 30% superior exercise performance compared to typical mice, both in speed and endurance.
This breakthrough arose from a broader investigation into healthy aging. The modified mice, which lack the protein RGS14, live approximately 20% longer than normal counterparts, with longevity patterns mirroring those observed in humans—where females tend to outlive males. Even as they age, these mice maintain a healthier physical appearance, evading the common age-related symptoms such as hair loss and graying seen in typical aging mice. Furthermore, their brown adipose tissue appears to shield them from numerous conditions, including obesity, glucose intolerance, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease, alongside reduced exercise tolerance.
To verify that the benefits stemmed from the brown fat rather than other genetic factors, the researchers transplanted the brown fat into normal mice. The recipients exhibited comparable benefits within a few days. In contrast, transplants involving regular brown fat from normal mice took up to eight weeks to yield only mild improvements.
The implications of this discovery could lead to enhanced human lifespans—the duration in which individuals experience robust mental and physical health.
“Despite medical advancements allowing for increased lifespan in humans, the quality of healthful aging has not improved correspondingly,” Vatner commented. “Numerous diseases are linked to aging, such as obesity, diabetes, heart conditions, cancer, and the next step is to devise new medications that are informed by models of healthy aging.”
Instead of creating a treatment that targets aging as a whole, which comes with regulatory hurdles, Vatner mentioned that his team aims to focus on specific outcomes like improved exercise capacity and metabolic function. This method builds upon their previous achievements in developing a drug grounded in a distinct healthy longevity model in mice.
“We are collaborating with various experts to create this therapeutic agent, and we anticipate having a drug ready for testing in approximately a year,” Vatner expressed.
In the interim, natural methods of increasing brown fat levels, such as intentional cold exposure, have shown potential. Research indicates that these practices can lead to temporary health benefits, including enhanced immune function and metabolic health. However, Vatner noted that none of these studies have been long enough to determine any sustained impact on healthy aging.
He remarked that most individuals would prefer a pill to increase brown fat levels rather than endure ice baths and expressed optimism about the potential for translating these latest findings into an effective medication.
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