Fat children may be tied to a lifetime of obesity
“A team of Swedish researchers has found that humans determine their total number of fat cells in childhood. New cells spring up and old ones perish, but their numbers change little after adolescence,” reports New Scientist.
Read more: New Scientist, 4 May 2008
Fat cell numbers stay constant through adult life
Swedish researchers have found that the number of fat cells in our bodies remains the same throughout adult life. They suggest that the process of weight gain may be different for adults and children:
“Adults who gain or lose weight may do so through changes in the size of the fat cells … Children, on the other hand, may put on extra fat by increasing the overall number of these cells in the body.”
“Although obesity tends to run in families, avoiding getting fat at a young age will help to establish a healthy number of fat cells for life,” they say.
Read more: Nature news, 5 May 2008
Read the abstract: Nature advanced online publication, 4 May 2008
Fat cell numbers ‘set for life’
British scientists comment on the above story.
Read more: BBC news, 4 May 2008
