A Burning Question: Can Some Body Fat Keep You Thin?

The Rockefeller University
October 13, 2020
SPEAKER
Paul Cohen, M.D., Ph.D.
Albert Resnick, M.D., Assistant Professor
Laboratory of Molecular Metabolism
The Rockefeller University
HOST
Richard P. Lifton, M.D., Ph.D.
President and Carson Family Professor
Laboratory of Human Genetics and Genomics
The Rockefeller University
Obesity, estimated to affect more than a third of adults and nearly twenty percent of children and adolescents in the United States, is associated with outcomes such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and many types of cancer. While these associations are well documented, many fundamental questions about the biology underlying body weight and health remain unanswered. Physician-scientist Paul Cohen is seeking explanations through research on the specialized adipose tissue known as brown fat, which breaks down blood sugar and fat molecules to generate heat and maintain body temperature.
Learn more about Rockefeller, Dr. Cohen’s ongoing research, and support the university at rockefeller.edu.