Ever heard of brown fat? Apparently it’s the type of body fat that has “calorie-burning properties.”
“Brown fat has generated interest among doctors and researchers for some time because it appears to be able to use regular body fat as fuel. And equally promising, it looks as if exercise may stimulate hormones that activate brown fat,” said Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Donald Hensrud.
Also known as brown adipose tissue, brown fat supposedly gets “activated” when one gets cold, producing heat during cold conditions.
We have lots of brown fat surrounding our central organs when we are born, helping us adapt to the change in temperature outside the womb, but it decreases as we get older.
Citing a study by Professor Michael Symonds and Dr. Helen Budge from the University of Nottingham School of Clinical Sciences, theBBC reports that brown fat produces “300 times more heat than any other organ in the body” and “stops a baby from freezing to death if left in the cold.” The study was published in the Journal of Pediatrics in June 2012.
“Researchers are looking at whether brown fat’s calorie-burning properties can be harnessed for weight loss,” said Hensrud.
He cautioned, though, that “It’s too soon to know whether these efforts will pay off.”
“In the meantime, be sure to include physical activity in your weight management plans,” he advised.
Source: Phil Star
Photos: sciencenewsforkids.org
