FAT.
Just the word strikes fear in those who exercise – eat healthfully – laugh lots – and, sleep well.
It infers “unhealthy” or “lack of control” or “bad foods”.
But, did you know our bodies have both BROWN and WHITE fat?
Surprise!
We’ve got it all.
Let’s look at the differences between BROWN and WHITE fat and bennies or bad things involved with each type of body fat.
Bottom Line: WHITE fat is storage for extra calories / BROWN fat functions as a metabolically active thermogenic tissue. Meaning, BROWN fat helps to generate heat and regulate body temperature.
For the longest time, it was thought that BROWN fat was found in babies and small mammals. But, in a large 2009 study, it was found that all healthy adults have this burning fat and it is normally found between the shoulder blades and around the neck area.
But, what does this BROWN fat really do for you? Well, it’s LOADED with mitochondria and is highly vascularized (it gets plenty of blood flow and can be easily activated by the sympathetic nervous system).
BROWN fat burns carbs and fats to produce heat. And, it you’re looking for a quick list of bennies:
Boosts your metabolism
Improving insulin sensitivity.
Burning more stored body fat.
So, how can we turn this wonderful BROWN fat on?
I’m sure you’ve seen articles and Kardashian feedback on the merits of “cold plunges” or “cold showers” – this “turns on” the thermogenic fat by making it produce “heat” for your cold body.
You can exercise which turns on “Irisin” our fat burning hormone. Irisin is often called our “exercise hormone”.
Resveratrol is another turn-on for BROWN fat.
Take home: This is the BESTIE you’ve wanted to meet. She was there all along!
If you find this type of info useful, please send it to a someone who’d love a fat-burning new friend.