What Is Brown Fat and Why Should You Care

  Did you know that we have different types of fat in our bodies and each one has different properties?  The white fat, which tends to stretch the pants to the maximum and overflows on the waist, stores energy. 

 There, it is not surprising.  It also contains brown fat, which gets its color from its iron content.  Brown fat also contains more mitochondria, called “the energy source of the cell”.  You can think of them as brown fat “engines” that burn calories and generate heat.

    So while the white fat becomes a kind of insulator, the brown fat is active.  Babies have a lot of brown fat.  Most adults have varying amounts, but not that many. 

 Thinner people tend to have a higher amount than heavier people, but it is not known whether this is genetic or not.

    According to one study, 15 minutes in

the cold could be the metabolic equivalent of an hour of exercise.  The researchers in this study observed healthy men and women as they exercised in a lab at 65 ° F. 

Later, those same study participants lay down on a bed.  When the temperature dropped to 53 ° F. In both tests, these people's muscles contracted (they were shaking!), They released the hormone irisin, which is produced in skeletal muscle.  This hormone increases body heat and creates brown fat cells from existing white fat cells.

    This discovery intrigued researchers.  They hypothesized that since the ancient biological survival mechanism of cold-induced chills helps us maintain core temperature, preventing hypothermia, it may stimulate irisin release.  

They designed tests to determine if chills rather than exercise were the primary driver of irisin secretion.  It turns out that irisin is produced by muscle contractions.  So whether it's through exercise or the chills, it doesn't really matter.  Once produced, it circulates in the blood and transforms white blood cells into brown blood cells.

    What is encouraging about this information is that the researchers found that the response to cold exposure can be activated even with very small changes in temperature.  

In this study, they showed that simply turning the thermostat from 74 ° F to 68 ° F was enough to generate a measurable increase in energy consumption.  Thirty seconds of cold water on your upper back and neck after a hot shower, if you don't have heart problems, is an easy way to do that, too.

    Or maybe you just stay active and exercise, turn down the thermostat a bit and get out a bit each day on a cool winter day for a walk (dressed appropriately, of course) to enjoy the weather.  fresh air and hopefully sunshine too.

    Another study found that curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, can induce the browning of white blood cells.  

In addition to its anti-inflammatory properties, this research indicates that curcumin appears to be an anti-obesity agent due to its ability to maintain brown fat and reduce inflammation, which is implicated in obesity, as well as in  diabetes and heart disease.  This is a great find.

    There are many ways to add turmeric to your meals, take it as a supplement, or even drink it as a tea, taking advantage of its many benefits including increased brown fat.

    Here are some simple ways to stimulate and support the activation of your fat-burning brown fat.  Choose the method that's right for you and reap these health benefits.