For real? That sounds real oxymoronic, if anything else, but researchers have pinpointed a kind of fat that just might be the key to battling obesity. The new buzzword these days is “brown fat,” and no, it is not a racist thing.
Brown fat is actually the informal term used to refer to brown adipose tissue. This type of fat is what babies, young children, and other young mammals use to keep warm. It works by burning calories in order to release heat, and the action is triggered by low temperatures. Now you can see how brown fat can be used to burn off those extra calories, can’t you?
The question is whether or not adults have brown fat, and the good news is YES, we do. In fact, the recent research points to this – adults have brown fat, which is used in temperature regulation. At the same time, this type of fat could also be playing a role in determining whether a person is lean or on the pudgy side.
The not-so-good news is that not all adults have brown fat. Even worse, it seems that those who are already overweight tend to have no brown fat stored in their bodies. On the other hand, people who are leaner and younger tend to have brown fat stored.
Given that, how can brown fat be used to combat weight problems? This is what researchers are working on right now. In the meantime, we are still urged to eat right and get a healthy amount of exercise.
Photo courtesy of http://www.trudicanavan.com/
Originally posted on July 13, 2011 @ 10:02 pm