Adipogenesis

Adipogenesis is the process by which your body creates new fat cells from precursor cells. While it sounds negative, this natural process affects how your body stores energy and responds to weight changes throughout life.

Adipogenesis is the differentiation of preadipocytes into mature, lipid-storing adipocytes, regulated by a transcriptional cascade involving C/EBPβ, C/EBPα, and PPARγ — the master regulator of adipocyte development. While adipocyte number was historically thought to be fixed after adolescence, research shows approximately 10% annual turnover in adults. Excessive adipogenesis, particularly in visceral depots, contributes to adipocyte hypertrophy, hypoxia, and the chronic inflammatory state associated with obesity.

Understanding how fat cells form and turn over is key to understanding why weight regain is so common. Dr Joseph Wang’s programme addresses both the metabolic and cellular factors that make long-term weight maintenance challenging.