Aging reveals a new fat-making stem cell driving belly fat growth

City of Hope and UCLA researchers identify a middle-age–specific stem cell population called committed preadipocytes (CP-As) that arise from adipocyte progenitor cells and markedly generate new fat cells in the belly; the process is driven by LIFR signaling, with mouse experiments showing aged APCs produce many new fat cells, and similar CP-A–like cells found in human tissue, suggesting a potential target to curb age-related belly fat.