Overview

• Scientists discovered that aging activates committed preadipocytes (CP-As), a newly identified stem cell subtype that drives increased fat cell production in middle age.
• Leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR) signaling was found to be critical for CP-A proliferation and differentiation into fat cells in older mice, but not in younger ones.
• Mouse experiments confirmed that aged adipocyte progenitor cells (APCs) intrinsically produce large amounts of new fat cells, regardless of their host's age.
• Similar CP-As with high fat-producing capacity were identified in human tissue samples, validating the findings in middle-aged individuals.
• The study, published in *Science*, suggests targeting CP-As or LIFR pathways could lead to therapies to prevent age-related obesity and improve healthspan.