The Fat in the Fire
It is not true that fat adults necessarily eat more than thin ones. It is not true that an overfed baby will become a fat adult. So why do some people stay thin and others get fat?
In trying to answer this question, scientists have to date concentrated on what we eat - how we control our calorie intake. Now attention is turning to the output side of the equation-the calories we burn off in the form of heat. Recent research suggests that special fat cells (brown fat) may, ironically, help control weight by burning up surplus food. So those born with a defective brown fat system would tend to lay down any surplus food as the more common white fat, and so become overweight. If the theory is correct, could drugs be discovered to stimulate the brown fat cells and so help fat people get thin again? Narrator DR PHILIP JAMES
Essential viewing for all those sad fatties on crush diets which never seem to work. (DAILY MAIL) Editor SIMON CAMPBELL-JONES
Written and produced by MARTIN FREETH
Brookes On ... page 101