LOUIS, Mo – A new study is showing there is an optimal amount of body fat needed for maximizing health and longevity.

The study from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is showing that an enzyme in body fat tissue controls energy levels in the brain.

Findings were published April 23 in the journal Cell Metabolism.

While the scientists have yet to determine what the best amount of fat tissue is, they have figured out that an optimal amount has an impact in the brain’s control center for aging and longevity.

This discovery, they said, may help show a survival benefit to having a body mass index toward the lower end of what is currently considered overweight.

People who are slightly overweight tend to have a lower mortality rate, they said.

Since fat tissue communicates specifically with the hypothalamus, the scientists have now linked energy levels there with fat tissue’s newly identified function.

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