Molecule boosts fat burning

Human brown adipocytes, lipid stained red (RedO oil stain) © Laia Reverte Salisa / University of Bonn . Study identifies a new signaling molecule that increases the energy consumption of brown fat cells A study led by the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn has identified a molecule - the purine inosine - that boosts fat burning in brown adipocytes. The mechanism was discovered in mice, but probably exists in humans as well: If a transporter for inosine is less active, the mice remain significantly leaner despite a high-fat diet. The study, which also involved researchers from the University of Leipzig and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, has now been published in the journal Nature. Normally, fat cells store energy. In brown fat cells, however, energy is dissipated as heat - brown fat thus serves as a biological heater. Most mammals therefore have this mechanism.