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(NewsNation) — The GLP-1 medication tirzepatide may change how the body uses energy, according to new research.
The study, presented at the Endocrine Society’s ENDO 2026 meeting, found tirzepatide activates brown adipose tissue. The drug is also sold under the brand names Zepbound and Mounjaro.
“In the TABFAT trial, we asked a different question: Beyond eating less, does tirzepatide also change how the body burns energy — specifically through brown adipose tissue, a metabolically active type of fat that produces heat and consumes calories?” said Dr. Rok Herman of the University Medical Centre Ljubljana in Slovenia.
Researchers studied obese premenopausal women over 24 weeks, using cold-stimulated PET/CT imaging and MRI scans to measure brown adipose tissue activity.
The findings showed the medication increased detectable brown fat activity from about 41% to nearly 65% of participants.
“We were also encouraged by the consistency of the signal across other imaging methods used in the study,” Herman said.
What is brown adipose tissue?
Brown adipose tissue is a type of body fat that helps regulate body temperature in cold conditions, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Unlike other fat, brown fat burns calories to generate heat and stores energy. It is often reduced in people with obesity.
Researchers once believed brown fat disappeared after infancy, but studies over the past two decades have confirmed its presence in adults.
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