Recent developments in the field of adipogenesis research suggest that brown adipose tissue (BAT) levels are linked to diet-induced obesity and the effects of aging. This Annals volume includes a selection of short reviews of topics presented at the Academy conference "The Good Fat: Understanding Adipogenesis and Function of Brown Fat" held March 12, 2013, sponsored by the Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science at the New York Academy of Sciences. The reviews explore the origin of BAT, how white adipose tissue may be converted to BAT-like tissue, and how BAT may be viewed as a therapeutic target for obesity and other diseases --Publisher summary.

The main focus of this book is on brown adipose tissue and its metabolic function. The book provides a timely update on the latest research and shows where the field is heading. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates energy and has received considerable attention in the last few years, having been re-discovered in adult humans in 2007/9. Moreover, BAT might offer a target for novel therapies to address obesity, a health condition that has reached pandemic dimensions.

Today we know that white and brown adipocytes share many metabolic and molecular pathways, although their physiological function, i.e., energy storage and energy dissipation, respectively, are quite opposite for WAT (white adipose tissue) and BAT (brown adipose tissue). The authors in this book provide a comprehensive volume covering the whole rang

This book is designed to provide a comprehensive insight into current perspectives and challenges in adipose tissue biology. In Adipose Tissue Biology, scientists and clinicians discuss adipocyte precursors, differentiation and growth, brown and white adipose tissue, gender, inflammation, dietary and genetic determinants of fat mass, together with evolutionary and developmental aspects of adiposity.

Obesity is a disease of society and economic transition spreading at an epidemic pace throughout the world. According to the World Health Organization, obesity is defined as an increased or abnormal accumulation of body fat mass to the extent that individual’s health will be negatively affected. Overweight is thus being considered as top at risk condition in the world and it is mandatory to identify the physiopathological causes involved in adipose tissue enlargement and related metabolic and cardiovascular health disorders.This volume provides the most up to date insights into the biology of a complex endocrine organ: the adipose tissue.