Cysteine depletion triggers adipose tissue thermogenesis and weight loss
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I am wondering if this is part of the reason that the sugar diet works for some people. This was a mouse study.
Cysteine depletion triggers adipose tissue thermogenesis and weight loss (2025)
Caloric restriction and methionine restriction-driven enhanced lifespan and healthspan induces ‘browning’ of white adipose tissue, a metabolic response that increases heat production to defend core body temperature. However, how specifc dietary amino acids control adipose thermogenesis is unknown. Here, we identifed that weight loss induced by caloric restriction in humans reduces thiol-containing sulfur amino acid cysteine in white adipose tissue. Systemic cysteine depletion in mice causes lethal weight loss with increased fat utilization and browning of adipocytes that is rescued upon restoration of cysteine in diet. Mechanistically, cysteine-restriction-induced adipose browning and weight loss requires sympathetic nervous system-derived noradrenaline signalling via β3-adrenergic-receptors that is independent of FGF21 and UCP1. In obese mice, cysteine deprivation induced rapid adipose browning, increased energy expenditure leading to 30% weight loss and reversed metabolic infammation. These fndings establish that cysteine is essential for organismal metabolism as removal of cysteine in the host triggers adipose browning and rapid weight loss.
““Effective health care depends on self-care” - Ivan Illich, 👀
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@DavidPS i posted a human study before that showed cysteine restriction also works in humans .
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@Mauritio And have you tried CD at all, and what results
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Remember that in models where only cysteine is restricted, they are cystathionine γ-lyase or cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) knockout models. In a normal situation if you want to emulate these studies you have to restrict methionine and cysteine, because methionine can be converted into cysteine.
A cysteine-free (no-Cys) diet induced weight loss exclusively in Cse−/− mice, indicating that depletion of newly absorbed and synthesized cysteine is necessary for the effect
Weight loss was completely prevented by supplying cysteine through either N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or GSH (which is broken down to cysteine in the gut)
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Anyone who’s replicated this dietarily, what do you eat?
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does gelatin supplementation emulate cysteine/methionine/tryptophan etc depletion?
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@sunsunsun partly. It enhances it.
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@sunsunsun said in Cysteine depletion triggers adipose tissue thermogenesis and weight loss:
does gelatin supplementation emulate cysteine/methionine/tryptophan etc depletion?
From cronometer.com, here is the amino acid profile of gelatin.
Dr. Peat spoke about the benefits of gelatin beginning at about 16 minutes. He mentions that little old ladies could live off of gelatin and toast. LOL
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@DavidPS said in Cysteine depletion triggers adipose tissue thermogenesis and weight loss:
Dr. Peat spoke about the benefits of gelatin beginning at about 16 minutes. He mentions that little old ladies could live off of gelatin and toast. LOL
lol, made me chuckle too
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So, to replicate this, do we just eat gelatin and keto acid sources for protein?
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@LetTheRedeemed - As stated in the opening post:
Systemic cysteine depletion in mice causes lethal weight loss with increased fat utilization and browning of adipocytes that is rescued upon restoration of cysteine in diet.
Cysteine is a conditionally essential amino acid. The US RDI is 287 mg and I would not try to go lower than that amount.
It is very easy to get to the RDI for cysteine. The flipside is that it difficult to keep your levels below the RDI; but it can be done if you have your heart set on it.
