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Growing Fat
01 June 2012

Growing Fat

Body fat, or adipose tissue, is far from a lifeless substance that hangs around our waists waiting to be jogged away. Unlike any other tissue type, adipose has a plasticity, which allows it to stretch and grow. At least 20% of our body mass is white adipose tissue (WAT). WAT secretes a chemical called VEGF-A, which prompts new blood vessels to develop. The resulting network of blood vessels supplies the fat with oxygen, nutrients and other chemicals essential for its spread under our skin. This picture shows adipose tissue from two mice stained brown to highlight blood vessels. The tissue from the mouse with higher levels of VEGF-A (right) has more blood vessels. Understanding this process has implications for obesity, but also for cancer, since tumours require their own blood supply to grow.

Written by John Ankers

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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