Keeping a single amino acid in check could be critical in promoting weight loss as part of the body's typical metabolic processes, according to a new study.

Led by researchers from multiple institutions in the US, the investigation aimed to explain why cutting calories generally leads to shedding pounds. Previous research has hinted that the amino acid cysteine might be a factor, but until now its role hasn't been clear.

What we now know is that cysteine depletion is influential in turning white fat (deposits stored on the body) into brown fat (used to burn energy and produce heat), essentially acting as a biological weight-loss engine.

"These results suggest future weight management strategies that might not rely exclusively on reducing caloric intake," says Krisztian Stadler,

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