Are we condemned to get a stomach when I get older? A study published in the Revue Science seems to abound in this sense and reveals an unsuspected culprit: with age appears a new type of adult stem cell which promotes the massive production of new fatty cells (Adipocytes), particularly around the abdomen.
“It often happens that we lose muscle and take fat mass as you get older, even keeping a constant weight,” says Dr Qiong Wang of the City of Hope National Medical Center in California and co-author of this work.
Mouses and men …
For their experiences, the researchers first transplanted stem cells called “Adipocyte progenitor cells” of young mice and elderly mice in another group of young mice. Adipocytes being cells allowing fat storage in the body.
Astonishing result: cells from elderly animals quickly generated a colossal quantity of fatty cells, regardless of the age of their host. However, when the team has transplanted adipose stem cells from young mice in older mice, stem cells have not produced many new adipose cells.
The authors then observed that aging transforms these stem cells into a new type called CP-A (for “Committed Preadipocytes, Age-Specific”). Appearing at the average age, these CP-A cells actively produce new fatty cells, explaining why older mice gain more weight.
“While the growth capacity of most adult stem cells decreases with age, it is the opposite for the progenitor cells of adipocytes: aging releases their capacity for evolution and multiplication,” continue the authors.
Confirmed results in humans
The team then studied human tissue samples of various ages. They thus identified CP-A cells, more numerous in the tissues of middle age. This discovery shows that these cells also have a great capacity to create new fatty cells in humans.
“Understanding the role of CP-A in metabolic disorders and how these cells appear with aging could open the way for new medical solutions to reduce abdominal fat and improve health and longevity,” conclude researchers.
