Weight loss treatment that makes mice sweat fat might work in humans too

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A new weight loss treatment that makes mice sweat fat has been discovered by scientists – who say it could even be used on humans to fight obesity.

Researchers have found that it is possible to induce abdominal fat loss by targeting the immune system, although the ripple effect is oily hair.

They made the discovery after treating mice with thymic stromal lymphopoietin cytokine (TSLP) – a type of protein in the immune system – which resulted in significant fat and weight loss.

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New weight loss treatment that makes mice sweat fat has been discovered by scientists – who say it could even be used on humans to fight obesity (stock image)

WHAT IS TSLP CYTOKINE AND HOW CAN IT HELP WITH WEIGHT LOSS?

Researchers treated mice with thymic stromal lymphopoietin cytokine (TSLP) – a type of immune system protein involved in asthma and other allergic diseases.

They found that it resulted in significant fat and weight loss, but it was not caused by decreased food intake or a faster metabolism.

Instead, it was because TSLP stimulated the immune system to release lipids through the sebum-producing sebaceous glands in the skin.

This reversed obesity in the mice and reduced their healthy weight from 45g to 25g over a four week period.

Mice treated with TSLP also saw a decrease in visceral fat mass – the white fat that is stored in the abdomen around major organs, which can increase diabetes, heart disease, and stroke risk.

Unexpectedly, however, this was not caused by a decrease in food intake or a faster metabolism, but rather because TSLP stimulated the immune system to release lipids through the sebum-producing sebaceous glands. skin.

“It was a totally unexpected discovery, but we have shown that fat loss can be achieved by secreting calories from the skin in the form of energy-rich sebum,” said lead author of the study, Taku Kambayashi. , University of Pennsylvania.

“We believe we are the first group to show a non-hormonal way to induce this process, highlighting an unexpected role for the body’s immune system.”

Kambayashi said the findings support the possibility that increasing sebum production via the immune system could be a strategy to treat obesity in humans.

Researchers were studying the role of TSLP, which is involved in asthma and other allergic diseases, in activating type 2 immune cells and the development of regulatory T cells.

Previous studies have suggested that these cells can regulate energy metabolism. Kambayashi’s team therefore predicted that administering TSLP to overweight mice could stimulate an immune response that would counteract some of the harmful effects of obesity.

“Initially, we didn’t think TSLP would have an effect on obesity itself. What we wanted to know was if this could impact insulin resistance, ”Kambayashi said.

“We thought the cytokine could correct type 2 diabetes, without actually causing mice to lose weight.”

Scientists made the discovery after giving mice the thymic stromal cytokine lymphopoietin – a type of protein in the immune system – which resulted in significant fat and weight loss (stock image)

To test the effect of TSLP on type 2 diabetes, the researchers injected obese mice with a viral vector that would increase their body’s levels of TSLP.

After four weeks, the team found that TSLP had not only affected the risk of diabetes, but also reversed obesity in mice.

As the control group continued to gain weight, the weight of TSLP-treated mice increased from 45g to healthy 25g, on average, in just 28 days.

Mice treated with TSLP also saw a decrease in visceral fat – the white fat that is stored in the abdomen around major organs, which can increase diabetes, heart disease, and stroke risk.

Kambayashi speculated that TSLP made mice sick and reduced their appetites. However, other tests found that they actually ate 20-30% more than their untreated counterparts.

It was then that he remembered a small observation that he had previously ignored.

“When I looked at the coats of the TSLP-treated mice, I noticed that they glowed in the light. I always knew exactly which mice had been treated because they were so much brighter than the rest, ”Kambayashi said.

He then wondered if their oily hairs were a sign that the mice were “sweating” the fat from their skin, a theory the researchers tested by shaving TSLP-treated mice and control mice and extracting the oils from them. fur.

They found that the shiny fur contained sebum-specific lipids, proving Kambayashi’s hypothesis correct. Sebum is a calorically dense substance produced by sebocytes in the sebaceous glands and helps form the skin barrier.

He confirmed that the release of oil through the skin was responsible for TSLP-induced fat loss.

The researchers said that in humans, shifting the release of sebum to “high speed” could lead to “fat sweating” and weight loss, which they plan to test next.

“I don’t think we naturally control our weight by regulating sebum production, but maybe we can hijack the process and increase sebum production to cause fat loss,” Kambayashi said.

“This could lead to new therapeutic interventions that reverse obesity and lipid disorders.”

The research was published in the journal Science.

OBESITY PUT ONE MILLION PEOPLE IN HOSPITAL IN ENGLAND LAST YEAR

One million people were admitted to hospital due to obesity in England in 2020, official data shows.

Data released by NHS Digital shows that admissions for conditions caused by obesity or where obesity affected people’s treatment increased by 17% during the year 2019 to 2020.

Women accounted for almost two-thirds (64%) of hospitalization cases, and admissions were more frequent in poorer areas than in wealthier ones.

NHS England medical director Professor Stephen Powis called the figures “shocking” and said they were “a growing sign of the obesity crisis in the country”.

He said obese people put themselves at risk for cancer, heart disease and strokes and also put additional pressure on the NHS, which spends billions of pounds each year treating people based on their weight.

People were most often admitted to hospital with arthritis of the hips and knees and heart disease, while others needed direct treatment for their weight.

NHS figures show around 10,780 admissions were caused directly by obesity – for weight loss or gastric surgery – while the rest were for obesity-related issues.

But in total, there were 1.02 million hospital admissions where a person’s obesity was listed as the primary or secondary cause of their visit, up from 876,000 the previous year.

The most common were appointments during pregnancy, arthritis of the knee and hip, and heart disease.

“Carrying extra pounds not only puts a strain on your physical health, but health services as well, so lockdown restrictions are starting to ease, there’s never been a better time to take steps to adopt a healthier lifestyle, ”said Professor Powis.

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