Could your belly fat save your life?
Pittsburgh plastic surgeon J. Peter Rubin MD says "adult stem cells, derived from our own tissues, hold strong promise for improved clinical therapies.” Rubin suggests that stem cells, with their capability for self-renewal, hold the key to improved reconstructive treatments needed for treating diseases and major injuries.
According to a study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, fat removed from the lower abdomen during liposuction procedures has a higher concentration of stem cells than anywhere else in the body. The findings of the Brazilian study were published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the ASPS.
Twenty-three female participants in the study had liposuction on at least of four different areas of the body. Upon analysis of the fat removed, scientists found that the fat located in the lower abdomen was the most rich in stem cells, by a significant margin.
The ASPS statistics say that there were over 300,000 liposuction procedures in 2007 and according to ASPS president Richard D’Amico, MD, a New Jersey plastic surgeon, "the value of stem cells harvested through fat is the ready and ample supply available.
Kristin Meyer for Real Beauty News
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