More on the Fat Front

Although we all wish we had a little less of it, fat is essential for managing our energy balance and helping to regulate body temperature.

But there are two distinct types of fat tissue: white 'bad' fat acts as an energy store whereas brown 'good' fat helps in burning calories to generate body heat.

Now one team has shown how to promote the manufacture of "good" brown fat, so we can burn more calories, while a second team has shown how brown fat and muscle are linked, suggesting ways to interconvert the two. Both offer a new strategy to fight flab.