Cholesterol-lowering drugs reduce brown adipose tissue

[Northerner]

A certain proportion of the adult population has not only white adipose (or fatty) tissue, but also the brown kind. This brown adipose tissue helps to convert sugar and fat into heat. People with brown adipose tissue are better at regulating their body temperature in the winter, and are less likely to suffer from excess weight or diabetes.

An international team of researchers led by Christian Wolfrum, Professor for Translational Nutritional Biology at ETH Zurich, has now discovered that the statin class of pharmaceuticals reduces the formation of brown adipose tissue. Statins are prescribed as a way to reduce the risk of a heart attack since they reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. They are among the most commonly prescribed drugs worldwide.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181221123745.htm

 

[Eddy Edson]

This bit was interesting:

However, statins also have another negative effect: in high doses, they slightly increase some people's risk of developing diabetes -- as has been shown in other studies. "It's possible that these two effects -- the reduction in brown adipose tissue and the slightly increased risk of diabetes -- are related," Wolfrum says, adding that this question requires further research.

 

[Northerner]

This bit was interesting:

However, statins also have another negative effect: in high doses, they slightly increase some people's risk of developing diabetes -- as has been shown in other studies. "It's possible that these two effects -- the reduction in brown adipose tissue and the slightly increased risk of diabetes -- are related," Wolfrum says, adding that this question requires further research.

I imagine from reading thousands of posts over the years that practically every person with diabetes get statins as a bonus - I wonder how many are already on statins before their diagnosis?

 

[HOBIE]

So are we all going to change colour ? 🙂

 

[Matt Cycle]

People with brown adipose tissue are better at regulating their body temperature in the winter, and are less likely to suffer from excess weight or diabetes.

I presume they mean Type 2 diabetes so why don't they say so. 'Diabetes' is used as a shorthand for Type 2. There are other types. Annoys me.

 

[mikeyB]

Me too, Matt. It’s all pervasive, when I tell people I have diabetes I always have to qualify it.

 

[Madeline]

I wish someone would discover a drug that encourages brown fat