When talking about body fat, people usually think of weight, body mass index, or the potential risks associated with having too much of it. However, not all fat performs the same functions in the body.
A study found that the presence of a particular type, known as brown fat, would be associated with a lower frequency of diagnoses of depression and anxiety.
The research, published in the journal Nature, examined the medical records of more than 100,000 patients from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, United States.
From PET/CT scans performed for clinical reasons, the scientists identified people who had detectable brown fat and compared their medical histories with those of people who did not have it.
The results showed that diagnoses of depressive episodes were recorded in 5.4% of patients with detectable brown fat, compared with 8.2% of those who did not have it.
Anxiety disorders were also less frequent in the first group.
These differences persisted even after the researchers accounted for factors such as age, sex, body mass index, smoking, the type and stage of cancer, and the treatments received.
"What surprised us most is that there are no previous studies documenting a possible connection between brown fat and mood," Nicolás Gómez-Banoy told ScienceAlert...
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When talking about body fat, people usually think about weight, body mass index, or the potential risks associated with an excess of it. However, not all fat serves the same functions in the body. A study found that the presence of a particular type, known as brown fat, is related to a lower frequency of depression and anxiety diagnoses. The research, published in the journal Nature, examined the medical records of more than 100,000 patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, United States. Using PET/CT scans performed for clinical reasons, the scientists identified people who had detectable brown fat and compared their medical histories with those of people who did not have it. The results showed that diagnoses of depressive episodes were recorded in 5.4% of patients with detectable brown fat, compared with 8.2% of those who did not have it. Anxiety disorders were also less frequent in the first group. These differences persisted even after the researchers accounted for factors such as age, sex, body mass index, smoking, the type and stage of cancer, and the treatments received. "What surprised us most is that there are no previous studies documenting a possible connection between brown fat and mood," Nicolás Gómez-Banoy, an endocrinologist, researcher at Rockefeller University and author of the study, told ScienceAlert. This type of fat is linked to fewer diagnoses of depression and anxiety, according to the study. Photo: Pexels KAROLINA GRABOWSKA KABOOMPICS What is brown fat and what function does it serve? Unlike white fat, which stores energy, brown fat has the ability to produce heat when activated by exposure to cold. It is found mainly in areas of the body such as the neck, near the collarbones and in the armpits. This tissue also absorbs the radioactive glucose marker used in certain medical scans, which makes it possible to identify it through imaging. The research expands on previous work by the same team, carried out in 2021, which had linked the presence of brown fat to lower rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In the new analysis, the scientists also observed that patients with this tissue had lower blood sugar levels, including a marker that reflects long-term glucose levels. For Gómez-Banoy, a possible explanation for the results related to mental health lies precisely in those metabolic differences. "The most plausible explanation is that patients with brown fat have an improved metabolic profile, a healthier fat distribution and lower inflammatory markers," the researcher explained. "All of these factors have been linked to better psychiatric outcomes," he added. This type of fat is linked to fewer diagnoses of depression and anxiety, according to the study. Trends / La Tercera An association that needs further study The authors caution that their results do not prove that brown fat protects against mental health disorders. "Since our study is retrospective, it is important to note that these findings are associations and do not demonstrate causality," Gómez-Banoy pointed out. In addition, the research was conducted on patients at an oncology center, and more than three quarters of the participants in the compared groups were women. Differences in tumor types and treatments could also have influenced the results. Therefore, the researcher suggested that future trials aimed at activating brown fat should also evaluate whether changes occur in patients' levels of anxiety and depression.