Restricting Two Amino Acids Triggers Beige Fat Thermogenesis in Mice

Overview

• In seven-day mouse experiments, lowering methionine and cysteine increased thermogenesis by roughly 20% without reducing food intake or boosting activity.
• The added calorie burn occurred in beige fat under the skin, the same depot activated by cold exposure.
• Diet-induced thermogenesis produced weight loss nearly matching round-the-clock exposure to about 5°C.
• Methionine and cysteine are concentrated in animal proteins and occur in much lower amounts in many plant foods.
• The University of Southern Denmark team published the results in eLife and identifies human trials and development of low–methionine/cysteine foods or adjunct strategies with drugs such as Wegovy as next research steps.