Potential Protection Against Chronic Diseases Associated With Obesity Following Discovery Of Melanin Production In Fat Tissue

A two-year study conducted by researchers at George Mason University, INOVA Fairfax Hospital and the National Cancer Institute may open the door to new therapies for combating chronic diseases associated with obesity, a condition that affected more than 33 percent of American adults in 2005-06 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While analyzing samples taken from morbidly obese patients undergoing weight loss surgery, the researchers discovered that substantial quantities of melanin - a pigment that gives the skin, the hair and the iris of the eye their natural color - were being produced in the study participants' fat tissue.