Buttermilk and brown fat cell activity in lab tests
What it found
In lab tests on HB2 brown preadipocytes, some buttermilk samples increased the expression of Ucp1, a protein linked to burning energy as heat.
Butter oil did not significantly affect Ucp1 expression.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Buttermilk effects varied
In lab tests, buttermilk 1 inhibited the differentiation of HB2 brown preadipocytes during brown adipogenesis. Buttermilk 3 and 5 increased Ucp1 expression without isoproterenol, suggesting stimulation of brown adipogenesis.
Isoproterenol-induced Ucp1
In lab tests, buttermilk 2 and 3 enhanced the isoproterenol-induced expression of Ucp1.
Basal Ucp1 in adipocytes
In lab tests on HB2 brown adipocytes, buttermilk did not affect basal or isoproterenol-induced Ucp1 expression, except buttermilk 5, which increased basal Ucp1 expression.
Butter oil had no effect
In lab tests, butter oil did not significantly affect Ucp1 expression in HB2 cells, whether during brown adipogenesis or in brown adipocytes.
What the authors conclude
“The results of the present study indicate that buttermilk is a regulator of brown adipogenesis and suggest its usefulness as a potential food material for antiobesity.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say buttermilk is a regulator of brown adipogenesis.
- They suggest buttermilk's usefulness as a potential food material for antiobesity.
How it was done
Brown adipocytes burn chemical energy as heat through Ucp1, and more energy use by activated brown adipocytes may help prevent or treat obesity. The authors wanted to see whether milk by-products, buttermilk and butter oil, affect brown fat cell formation and function.
They treated HB2 brown preadipocytes and HB2 brown adipocytes with different buttermilk samples and with butter oil. They measured brown adipogenesis and Ucp1 expression, including with and without isoproterenol, a β-adrenergic receptor agonist.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are lab tests on cells, not studies in people. They can't show what buttermilk does in the human body.
- The results varied by buttermilk sample, so they can't show a single effect for all buttermilk.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Kyoto University, Japan; Milk Science Research Institute, Japan; Kitasato University School of Veterinary Medicine, Japan
The paper
- Title
- Modulation of brown adipocyte activity by milk by-products: Stimulation of brown adipogenesis by buttermilk
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Asano H, Kida R, Muto K, et al (2016). Modulation of brown adipocyte activity by milk by-products: Stimulation of brown adipogenesis by buttermilk. Cell biochemistry and function. doi:10.1002/cbf.3241PubMed 27935133DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error