A hormone produced by exercising muscles may stimulate cells to burn calories / holbox/shutterstock.com
With many new year resolutions including weight loss, a recent study concerning body fat has grabbed people’s attention. We all know too much fat is a bad thing. Yet studies into different types of fat – which burn energy rather than store it – suggest that there might be new ways to tackle obesity.
White ‘bad’ fat, is the type of fat that stores calories, and excess amounts of it cause people to put on weight. It’s found in abundance in obese people.
Brown fat generates heat and burns calories and has been linked to helping control weight. Brown fat dwindles with age – it was believed to only be present in children until researchers in 2009 found that it’s also active in up to 7.5 per cent of adults.
But now a newer study* in the journal Cell has reported the discovery of beige fat – another type of fat present in “most or all human beings” which has the ability to both store and burn calories.
Beige – the new brown The existence of beige fat cells was first suggested in 2008 by Dr Bruce Spiegelman, a cell biologist at Harvard Medical School. But it wasn’t until this recent study, conducted by Dr Spiegelman and scientists at Harvard’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, that it’s been possible to isolate the cells and determine their genetic profile. Beige fat cells, the scientists say, can be found in humans in small deposits around the collarbone and spine. In this study, they cloned beige fat cells in mice to look at them more closely.
The scientists discovered that beige fat is similar to brown fat in some ways. Both contain iron, which gives them their distinct colour, and both have an abundance of mitochondria – a part of the cell which can produce heat and burn calories.
But there were also some significant differences. Brown fats cells give off high levels of UCP1 a protein that mitochondria need to produce heat and burn calories. In comparison, beige fact cells usually express low levels of UCP1. However, beige fat can be stimulated to produce a lot of UCP1 when exposed irisin, a hormone released by muscles during exercise or when muscles shiver due to exposure to cold temperatures.
It was also found that the cells differ from each other genetically. Brown fat cells originate from muscle stem cells. In contrast, beige fat cells emerge from white fat cells – making it possible for them to store fat when levels of UCP1 are low, but burn it when muscles release irisin through exercise.
Fighting obesity The study reports: “The therapeutic potential of both kinds of brown [brown and beige] fat cells is clear, as genetic manipulations in mice that create more brown or beige fat have strong anti-obesity and anti-diabetic actions.”
It is hoped that these discoveries may lead to new treatments in obesity. Indeed, Spiegelman has already set up a biotech company, Ember Therapeutics, in an attempt to develop irisin in a drug form to stimulate brown and beige fat cells to increase weight loss.
However, this is still a very new field. While more brown and beige fat cells are found in fit compared to sedentary people, for example, more research is needed to prove the two are directly linked. It’s believed that the effects of irisin may only be temporary but scientists don’t know this for sure yet.
*Spiegelman, Bruce M et al. Beige Adipocytes Are a Distinct Type of Thermogenic Fat Cell in Mouse and Human. Cell, Volume 150, Issue 2, p366-376. July 2012
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A hormone produced by exercising muscles may stimulate cells to burn calories / holbox/shutterstock.com
With many new year resolutions including weight loss, a recent study concerning body fat has grabbed people’s attention. We all know too much fat is a bad thing. Yet studies into different types of fat – which burn energy rather than store it – suggest that there might be new ways to tackle obesity.
White ‘bad’ fat, is the type of fat that stores calories, and excess amounts of it cause people to put on weight. It’s found in abundance in obese people.
Brown fat generates heat and burns calories and has been linked to helping control weight. Brown fat dwindles with age – it was believed to only be present in children until researchers in 2009 found that it’s also active in up to 7.5 per cent of adults.
But now a newer study* in the journal Cell has reported the discovery of beige fat – another type of fat present in “most or all human beings” which has the ability to both store and burn calories.
Beige – the new brown The existence of beige fat cells was first suggested in 2008 by Dr Bruce Spiegelman, a cell biologist at Harvard Medical School. But it wasn’t until this recent study, conducted by Dr Spiegelman and scientists at Harvard’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, that it’s been possible to isolate the cells and determine their genetic profile. Beige fat cells, the scientists say, can be found in humans in small deposits around the collarbone and spine. In this study, they cloned beige fat cells in mice to look at them more closely.
The scientists discovered that beige fat is similar to brown fat in some ways. Both contain iron, which gives them their distinct colour, and both have an abundance of mitochondria – a part of the cell which can produce heat and burn calories.
But there were also some significant differences. Brown fats cells give off high levels of UCP1 a protein that mitochondria need to produce heat and burn calories. In comparison, beige fact cells usually express low levels of UCP1. However, beige fat can be stimulated to produce a lot of UCP1 when exposed irisin, a hormone released by muscles during exercise or when muscles shiver due to exposure to cold temperatures.
It was also found that the cells differ from each other genetically. Brown fat cells originate from muscle stem cells. In contrast, beige fat cells emerge from white fat cells – making it possible for them to store fat when levels of UCP1 are low, but burn it when muscles release irisin through exercise.
Fighting obesity The study reports: “The therapeutic potential of both kinds of brown [brown and beige] fat cells is clear, as genetic manipulations in mice that create more brown or beige fat have strong anti-obesity and anti-diabetic actions.”
It is hoped that these discoveries may lead to new treatments in obesity. Indeed, Spiegelman has already set up a biotech company, Ember Therapeutics, in an attempt to develop irisin in a drug form to stimulate brown and beige fat cells to increase weight loss.
However, this is still a very new field. While more brown and beige fat cells are found in fit compared to sedentary people, for example, more research is needed to prove the two are directly linked. It’s believed that the effects of irisin may only be temporary but scientists don’t know this for sure yet.
*Spiegelman, Bruce M et al. Beige Adipocytes Are a Distinct Type of Thermogenic Fat Cell in Mouse and Human. Cell, Volume 150, Issue 2, p366-376. July 2012
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2013 issue 1
Project update: Floating point
Michel Kreuger, the man behind Amsterdam’s €9m Floating Gardens spa, tells Magali Robathan how the innovative project is shaping up
Everyone's talking about...: Online reviews
Economists have revealed that just half a star difference in online consumer reviews can make or break a business. But are spa operators doing enough to boost their online reputation?
Marketing: Award winning advice
Spa judge Samantha Foster shares her top tips on how to write an award application entry with a winning edge
Interview: Deborah Szekely
The extraordinary Deborah Szekely has spent 73 years in the industry, creating Rancho La Puerta and the Golden Door. Her 90th birthday marked the dawn of a new era, with the launch of lobbying organisation Wellness Warrior. She talks to Liz Terry
Research: Recovery begins
Hotel spas in the US are starting to bounce back from the economic downturn. Andrea Foster from PKF Consulting analyses its 2012 Trends® in the Hotel Spa Industry report
Trends: Watch this space
The Brazilian middle class, millennials and gamification will have a significant impact on the spa industry moving forwards. Health and wellness experts at global foresights firm The Futures Company tell us why and suggest other trends to keep an eye out for
Promotion: company profile: Thalgo
Spa Business talks to Bernard Sirop, managing director of Thalgo, about the evolution of the company and where it is set to go in the future
Spa science: Entering the telo-age
Jay Williams explains the science behind telomere health – DNA structures linked to cellular ageing – and how it can be used in spas
Top team: Botanique Hotel & Spa
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Promotional feature : Concept development
Special experiences are created when spa concepts are expressed through great design. Kate Corney talks to WTS president Gary Henkin and business partner Doug Chambers, principal of Blu Spas, about concept and branding
Product focus: Amenities - part two
Amenities, which are often overlooked by spa suppliers, can bring in 20 per cent of revenue for a product house. Spa Business get the low-down
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People taking GLP-1 weight loss medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound
may be losing weight, but they’re also becoming less physically active, according to new
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Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
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The Standards Authority for Touch in Cancer Care (SATCC) charity has announced its first five-
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Cheshire, UK, between 1 and 5 September.
Patmos Aktis, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, has opened in Greece, with a renovated and
rebranded wellness offering called Ansana Wellness and Spa.
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, an Autograph Collection property in Hawaii, US, has opened its
22,000 sq ft indoor-outdoor Spa at Mauna Kea as the final step in the property’s overall
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The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
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Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
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Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
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that spark joy.
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Barr + Wray Ltd Barr + Wray has more than 60 years’ experience in the design and delivery of world-class spa and wel [more...]
