Prospective studies on adipose tissue development in man
Sjöström, L.; William-Olsson, T.
International Journal of Obesity 5(6): 597-604
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0307-0565 PMID: 7319683 Document Number: 177930
Prospective data developed in longitudinal studies of changes in fat cell number of 19 obese women are reported and evaluated in concert with the results of prior longitudinal studies of infants and obese versus non-obese school girls. Based on an assessment of the data, an hypothesis for short and long term changes of body fat in terms of fat cell weight and number is proposed. The study results indicated that fat cell number may increase and decrease in adults. Mechanisms by which fat cells could be removed are not described, although one possibility would be the domination of the fat storing system by the lipolytic enzymes of aging fat cells. This would result in vacant fat cell ghosts which could probably be handled by phagocytosis. (wz)