Brown fat linked to better health; blood pressure drug shows promise in activating it

AI analysis of medical records reveals associations between brown fat and lower rates of diabetes, heart disease, anxiety, and depression

By LineZotpaper

Published18 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Researchers from Rockefeller University have used artificial intelligence to analyze medical records from over 100,000 cancer patients, finding that those with detectable brown fat were less likely to have type 2 diabetes, heart disease, anxiety, or depression. The study also identified the blood pressure drug losartan as a potential activator of brown fat, raising the possibility of new treatments for metabolic and mental health conditions.

The study, published in Nature, used AI to detect brown adipose tissue in approximately 8,900 participants from a database of 101,243 medical records. Brown fat is known to burn excess sugar and fat for heat, but this research suggests it may have broader health benefits. The team found that individuals with brown fat had lower rates of chronic diseases and mental health conditions, with more active brown fat linked to greater benefits.

Moving to mouse models, the researchers showed that losartan, a common blood pressure medication, can activate brown fat cells, causing them to burn more energy and produce more heat. Importantly, this activation occurs through a different molecular pathway than the drug's blood-pressure-lowering effect, opening the door for future therapies that target brown fat without affecting blood pressure.

However, the study carries caveats. The data comes from cancer patients, and over three-quarters were women. The brown fat activation was demonstrated in mice, which rely more on brown fat than humans. "The fact that its different effects are mediated by different molecular pathways is advantageous," said endocrinologist Nicolás Gómez-Banoy from Rockefeller University. "That way you would be able to stimulate brown fat in people with normal blood pressure."

Dr. Griffin Rodgers, director of the NIH's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases, who was not involved in the research, said the study "provides a much-needed clinical rationale for exploring brown adipose tissue as a therapeutic target in humans across a spectrum of diseases."

Analysis

Why This Matters

The findings suggest a potential new approach to improving metabolic and mental health by activating brown fat, which could lead to treatments for conditions like diabetes, heart disease, anxiety, and depression.
The identification of a common blood pressure drug as a brown fat activator opens the possibility of drug repurposing, potentially speeding up the path to clinical applications.
Understanding the link between brown fat and mental health could shift how we view body fat, highlighting its role beyond weight regulation.

Background

Brown fat is a type of adipose tissue that burns calories to generate heat, unlike white fat which stores energy. It is more common in infants and declines with age, often becoming dormant in adults. This research aims to find ways to safely activate brown fat to harness its health benefits, using large datasets and AI to uncover patterns not previously observed.

Key Perspectives

Research Team: The Rockefeller University group views the study as a platform for drug repurposing, with the AI analysis enabling new clinical insights. They emphasize the need for further research to confirm the findings in broader populations. Independent Expert: Griffin Rodgers highlights the reverse translational approach as a valuable step toward making brown fat a therapeutic target, though he was not involved in the study. Skeptics and Caveats: The study's limitations include its participant base (all had cancer, mostly women) and the fact that drug activation was shown only in mice. More work is needed to determine if losartan's effects on brown fat translate to health benefits in humans.

What to Watch

Further studies testing losartan's ability to activate brown fat in diverse human populations, including those without cancer.
Clinical trials exploring whether brown fat activation can reduce rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and mental health conditions.
Research into the specific molecular pathways involved, to develop targeted therapies that stimulate brown fat without affecting blood pressure.

Sources

Brown Fat Can Be Beneficial For The Body – And a Blood Pressure Drug Could Turn It On · ScienceAlert

Checked

11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.

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SupportedHeadline: Brown fat linked to better health; blood pressure drug shows promise in activating itScienceAlert: “In a new study in Nature, researchers led by a team from Rockefeller University in the US have presented more evidence for brown fat (adipose tissue) boosting not just physical health, but mental health too. ... they've also identified a potential medication option: the blood pressure drug losartan was associated with a greater likelihood of having detectable brown fat in the study data.”
SupportedSummary: AI analysis of medical records reveals associations between brown fat and lower rates of diabetes, heart disease, anxiety, and depressionScienceAlert: “The researchers found that those with brown fat were significantly less likely to have type 2 diabetes or heart disease. Then there were the mental health findings – the brown fat group was also less likely to have anxiety or depression.”
SupportedResearchers from Rockefeller University have used artificial intelligence to analyze medical records from over 100,000 cancer patientsScienceAlert: “All of these findings came from scanning the medical records of 101,243 study participants using AI to find brown fat”
SupportedThe study, published in Nature, used AI to detect brown adipose tissue in approximately 8,900 participants from a database of 101,243 medical recordsScienceAlert: “AI was used to identify areas of brown fat on study participants. ... The first part of the research involved identifying nearly 8,900 of the study participants with detectable amounts of brown fat.”
SupportedThe team found that individuals with brown fat had lower rates of chronic diseases and mental health conditions, with more active brown fat linked to greater benefitsScienceAlert: “More 'active' brown fat meant greater benefits, with armpit fat showing the biggest links.”
SupportedMoving to mouse models, the researchers showed that losartan, a common blood pressure medication, can activate brown fat cells, causing them to burn more energy and produce more heatScienceAlert: “Switching to tests on mice, the team found that animals given losartan had brown fat that was more active – burning more energy and producing more heat”
SupportedThis activation occurs through a different molecular pathway than the drug's blood-pressure-lowering effectScienceAlert: “It also happened via a different route to the one used to lower blood pressure, the study determined”
Supported"The fact that its different effects are mediated by different molecular pathways is advantageous," said endocrinologist Nicolás Gómez-Banoy from Rockefeller University. "That way you would be able to stimulate brown fat in people with normal blood pressure."ScienceAlert: “The fact that its different effects are mediated by different molecular pathways is advantageous, since it means we could potentially isolate them in future therapies. That way you would be able to stimulate brown fat in people with normal blood pressure.”
SupportedDr. Griffin Rodgers, director of the NIH's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases, who was not involved in the research, said the study "provides a much-needed clinical rationale for exploring brown adipose tissue as a therapeutic target in humans across a spectrum of diseases."ScienceAlert: “The unique reverse translational approach of this study, enabled by large clinical datasets and next-generation analytical tools, provides a much-needed clinical rationale for exploring brown adipose tissue as a therapeutic target in humans across a spectrum of diseases.”
SupportedThe data comes from cancer patients, and over three-quarters were womenScienceAlert: “all the participants had been diagnosed with cancer, and more than three-quarters were women”
SupportedThe brown fat activation was demonstrated in mice, which rely more on brown fat than humansScienceAlert: “the drug's ability to activate brown fat was demonstrated in mice, which are more reliant on brown fat than we are”