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How Neurons Reshape inside Body Fat to boost its Calorie-Burning Capacity

sympathetic innervation of adipose tissue
Sparse neurons (left) in white fat, which stores calories, grow back after treatment with leptin (right).

Scientists have found that a hormone tells the brain to dramatically restructure neurons embedded in fat tissue. Their work widens our understanding of how the body regulates its energy consumption, and how obesity might be treated in the future. There’s no doubt that you can lose fat by eating less or moving more – yet after decades of research, the biology underlying this equation remains mysterious. What really ignites the breakdown of stored fat molecules are nerves embedded in the fat tissue, and a new study now reveals that these fat-burning neurons have previously unrecognized powers. If they receive the right signal, they have an astonishing capacity to grow.

That signal...

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