Fat is not just extra weight. It is an organ that stores energy, makes hormones, and helps control how our bodies use food.
When Fat Gets Too Low
Having too much fat can cause heart disease and diabetes. But losing the wrong kind of fat can be just as dangerous. Some people inherit rare conditions, such as familial partial lipodystrophy type 2 (FPLD2), where fat disappears from parts of the body. This can lead to diabetes and other metabolic problems.
Scientists Look Inside Diseased Fat
Dr. Elif Oral and her team wanted to know why losing fat hurts metabolism. They worked with patients who have FPLD2 and built a mouse model that turns off a gene called lamin A/C only in fat cells. This gene is also mutated in people with the disease.
What Happens to Fat Cells
Both the mouse tissue and human samples showed big changes in gene activity. Fat cells could no longer store or process fats correctly. At the same time, they became inflamed, and their tiny power plants – mitochondria – stopped working well. All these problems make the tissue unhealthy and eventually cause the fat cells to disappear.
Why Healthy Fat Matters
When healthy fat is lost, the body cannot handle lipids or release important hormones. This can trigger diabetes, fatty liver disease, and other serious illnesses. As Dr. Oral explains, “Diabetes is not only a disease of the pancreas; it is also a disease of fat cells.”
Looking Toward New Treatments
The researchers hope to protect fat tissue before it breaks down. Keeping fat cells alive could lower the damage to metabolism and reduce diabetes risk. Their work also shows how doctors, lab scientists, and patients can work together to find better therapies.