Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment

Newly identified cells in abdominal fat inhibit the formation of new fat cells. This discovery could be valuable for the treatment of obesity, as a Swiss research team wrote in a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism. The cell population in abdominal fat identified by the researchers led by Bart Deplancke from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) produces a protein called IGFBP2, which inhibits the formation of fat cells, according to the study published on Thursday. Understanding how adipose tissue forms and how it functions is crucial for dealing with obesity and associated metabolic diseases, EPFL wrote in a press release on the study. However, adipose tissue behaves differently depending on where it is located in the body. The so-called omental adipose tissue, which hangs from the stomach like an apron and covers certain organs such as the stomach and intestines, has a limited capacity to form new fat cells. According to the EPFL researchers, when ...