South Middlesex Times

Rutgers Health researchers have uncovered findings about brown fat that could potentially aid in maintaining physical fitness as people age. The team from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School discovered that mice lacking a specific gene developed a potent form of brown fat tissue, leading to an extended lifespan and enhanced exercise capacity by approximately 30%. They are now working on developing a drug to replicate these effects in humans.

Stephen Vatner, university professor and director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the medical school’s Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, and senior author of the study published in Aging Cell, explained, “Exercise capacity diminishes as you get older, and to have a technique that could enhance exercise performance would be very beneficial for healthful aging.”

The study highlighted that unlike white fat, which stores energy, brown fat burns calories and helps regulate body temperature. It also plays a crucial role in exercise capacity by improving blood flow to muscles during physical activity. Genetically modified mice with high levels of active brown fat demonstrated about 30% better exercise performance than normal mice.

The research emerged from broader studies into healthy aging. The modified mice lacking the protein RGS14 lived about 20% longer than their normal counterparts. They maintained a healthier appearance even at advanced ages and were protected from various conditions such as obesity, glucose intolerance, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and reduced exercise tolerance.

To verify if brown fat was responsible for these benefits rather than other genetic factors, researchers transplanted the brown fat into normal mice. The recipients showed similar benefits within days. In contrast, transplants using regular brown fat from normal mice took eight weeks to show milder improvements.

Vatner noted that despite advances in medicine increasing human longevity, healthful aging has not seen equivalent progress due to diseases associated with aging like obesity and diabetes. He stated that their focus is on finding new drugs based on models of healthful aging rather than addressing aging broadly due to regulatory challenges.

“We're working with some people to develop this agent,” Vatner said. “Hopefully, in another year or so, we'll have a drug that we can test.”

In the interim period before drug development progresses further, techniques such as deliberate cold exposure can naturally increase brown fat levels. While these methods offer short-term benefits like enhanced immune function and improved metabolic health, none have been studied long enough to assess impacts on healthful aging comprehensively.

Vatner mentioned that most individuals would likely prefer increasing brown fat through medication over methods like ice baths. He remains optimistic about translating this latest discovery into an effective treatment option.