Reverse obesity in mice: will it work in humans

A study team from the Perelman School of Medication at the University of Pennsylvania (USA) has succeeded in treating obese mice with the cytokine TSLP (thymic stromal lymphopoietin). Four weeks later, after injection of a viral vector that would increase TSLP levels in their bodies, the mice achieved significant loss of abdominal fat and weight compared to those in the control group, although the fat loss was unexpectedly reduced. not associated with lower food eating or faster metabolism, but TSLP stimulated the immune system to release lipids through the skin's oil-producing sebum glands. While the control group sustained to gain weight, the weight of the TSLP-treated mice rose from 45 grams to a healthy 25 grams on average in just 28 days .

Sweat the fat

"It was a completely unforeseen result, but we have shown that fat loss can be achieved by secreting calories from the skin in the form of high-energy sebum," lead researcher Taku Kambayashi told Science, which published the study. "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 ."

In addition, the mice also decreased their visceral fat mass (the white fat stored in the abdomen around important organs that can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke). These mice also showed better fasting blood sugar and insulin levels and a lower risk of fatty liver disease .

Does it have any negative effects?

According to the researchers, the only effect of this new treatment is to make hair greasy, a problem with no major complications, and their results support the possibility that increasing sebum production by the immune system could be a strategy for treating obesity. In people. An option to consider because, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1 billion people worldwide are overweight and 300 million of them are obese .

 

Previous studies had shown that these cells can regulate energy metabolism, so the team predicted that administering TSLP to overweight mice could stimulate an immune response that would counter some of the harmful effects of obesity .

 

“At first we didn't think TSLP would have any effect on obesity itself. What we wanted to know was whether it could affect insulin resistance, ”clarifies Kambayashi. What was surprising was the weight loss in rodents without a reduction in intake.

 

 

"I don't think we can naturally control our weight by regulating sebum production, but it is possible that we can speed up the process and increase sebum production to cause fat loss," the expert concludes.

 

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Reference: "Thyme stromal lymphopoietin induces adipose fabric loss through excess sebum" by Ruth Choa, Junichiro Tohyama, Shogo Wada, Hu Meng, Jian Hu, Mariko Okumura, Rebecca M. May, Tanner F. Robertson, Ruth-An