Here is the slimming down of the best types of body fat.
You're probably familiar with white fat, which is the most common fat throughout the body. White fat acts as our primary energy store and protects us from falling, but our beer-lined bellies and thunder thighs also dramatically increase our risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Brown fat is the least known but considered the best type. It burns calories to produce heat when we are exposed to cold conditions and helps regulate metabolism.
Scientists from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School say brown fat can also enhance exercise performance and promote longevity.
“Our hypothesis is that [brown fat] “It protects against obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and decreased exercise tolerance,” the researchers recently wrote in the journal Aging.
Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of brown fat, and we can't really produce more of it.
At birth, brown fat is concentrated in the back, neck and shoulders. As we age, these cells dissipate and spread into small deposits around the neck, kidneys, adrenal glands, heart, and chest area.
Thin people tend to have more brown fat than overweight people.
We can activate our brown fat using a cold bath or ice bath. Spicy foods, green tea and apples have also shown potential.
Exercise means our brown fat burns more calories because physical activity stimulates our sympathetic nervous system — also known as the “fight or flight” response.
One study found that brown fat activity increased among rodents that ran on a treadmill for six to eight weeks.
The Rutgers scientists note that much of the research on this topic focuses on exercise regulating brown fat and not the other way around.
They highlighted a study that involved transplanting brown fat from genetically modified mice into normal mice. Recipients had better endurance just three days after the transplant.
Brown fat from unedited mice took longer to produce similar results.
Brown fat may also help combat age-related muscle loss, fatigue, and decreased metabolism by boosting circulation and reducing cellular stress, Rutgers researchers said.
They suggest developing treatments that mimic the benefits of brown fat to improve energy, weight maintenance and heart health.
