How and where fat is stored predicts disease risk better than weight

The new results complement earlier findings by diabetes researchers at UT Southwestern who investigated why mice genetically engineered to be obese are at no more risk of developing metabolic syndrome than normal mice. The results of that study, which was led by Dr. Philipp Scherer, professor of internal medicine and director of the Touchstone Center for Diabetes Research, also suggested that it’s not the amount of body fat, but where it is stored in the body that appears to matter most to health.

Dr. Unger said the most recent findings, like Dr. Scherer’s, in no way condone obesity.

“It’s best to eat only what you need to replace the energy you burn,” he said. “But, if you eat more than you need, as most Americans do, it’s better to put the surplus calories in fat cells than in the rest of the body because fat cells are designed specifically for fat storage. You won’t be as trim, but you’ll be healthier,” Dr. Unger said.

The study results also imply that any gene that impairs the ability to store fat in the fat cells likely predisposes an individual to metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, Dr. Unger said.

Researchers from Baylor University Medical Center and University Medical Center in Geneva also contributed to the study.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Visit http://www.utsouthwestern.org/edocrinology to learn more about UT Southwestern’s clinical services in endocrinology.

This news release is available on our World Wide Web home page at http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/home/news/index.html

To automatically receive news releases from UT Southwestern via e-mail, subscribe at www.utsouthwestern.edu/receivenews

Dr. Roger Unger -- http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/findfac/professional/0,2356,17495,00.html

Dr. May-yun Wang -- http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/findfac/professional/0,2356,17718,00.html