An easy way to burn fat - and lose weight - could be the avoidance of bad cholesterol, according to a new study.
The study, by researchers at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet, has found that LDL, or bad cholesterol, is also a regulator of fat turnover besides its well-established detrimental effects in promoting atherosclerosis.
Johan Björkegren and colleagues found that LDL slowed the rate of fat breakdown in adipocytes, the peripheral cells responsible for fat storage, open-access journal PLoS ONE reported.
Earlier studies have shown the fatty acids released from the peripheral fat to the blood boost the synthesis of LDL precursors in the liver.
The current study suggests that high levels of LDL could inhibit the releasing fatty acids of the peripheral fat.
“The results of our study provide evidence of a reciprocal link between the liver and peripheral fat regulating fat turnover", said Björkegren.
This finding suggests that lowering cholesterol in the blood may also affect build-up of peripheral fat.
The study was conducted on cell cultures and tissue from humans as well as in animal models with different levels of LDL.