Beige fat may help regulate blood pressure, mice study finds

• There are several causes for high blood pressure, including obesity.
• People who have obesity generally have more white fat, which stores energy, than beige fat, which burns calories.
• A new study has found that beige fat may actually help regulate blood pressure, as observed in a mouse model.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2024 about 1.4 billion adults globally had high blood pressure, medically known as hypertension. Hypertension is also considered the number one risk factor for death worldwide, and is responsible for almost half of all heart disease and stroke-related deaths around the world.

There are several causes for high blood pressure. Some factors, like age, ethnicity, and genetics, are non-modifiable, while others, like diet, physical activity level, stress, smoking, and obesity, are modifiable risk factors.

People who have obesity generally have more white fat — known as white adipose tissue — in the body than beige fat, or brown adipose tissue. White fat stores calories for energy, while beige fat is functional and helps to burn calories.

Past studies show that having too much white fat in the body can increase a person’s risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Now, a new study recently published in the journal Sciencehas found that beige fat may actually help control blood pressure, via a mouse model.