Relentless belly fat that plagues middle-age and elderly adults could be caused by inflammation, a new study has found.
The report’s researchers concluded that drugs that target this inflammation could spike their metabolism and help them burn more fat, which decreases their risk of chronic illnesses.
High amounts of body fat can lead to fatal diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, and it can cause strokes.
Experts are hopeful that the new analysis provides a way to lessen the effects of the obesity epidemic in America, where more than 35 percent of adults are overweight.
A new study from Yale University has found that belly fat is linked to inflammation. The research suggests that by targeting this inflammation with medicines, older adults could shed pounds around their waistline more efficiently (file photo)
Research has shown that older adults have higher amounts of body fat, regardless of their weight.
But being active does not help them shed the fat around their waistline as easily as younger adults. This is because their bodies cannot burn energy found in their fat cells as efficiently.
This cycle leads to an accumulation of belly fat and, until know, the reason that fat cells were unresponsive when older people worked out was unknown.
But researchers at Yale University, led by Professor Vishwa Deep Dixit, discovered that the culprit is inflammation.
For the study they focused on specialized cells known as macrophages, which are typically involved in controlling infections.
They discovered a new type of macrophage that resides on the nerves in belly fat, which becomes inflamed with age. These inflamed cells do not allow signals to be sent to fat cells telling them to burn their stored energy.
The team’s discovery could lead to new treatments, such as drugs targeting inflammation, to help the elderly get a flatter stomach.
Future research on the topic will look at immune cells and their interaction with nerves, and how this relationship controls health and disease.
Study author Christina Camell said: ‘The purpose of our research is to achieve greater understanding of immune cell interactions with nerves and fat cells to potentially reduce belly fat, enhance metabolism and improve performance in the elderly.’
Researchers at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and the University of Bonn in Germany also worked on the new report.
The research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund.