| Last week the New England Journal of Medicine | | | | no problem for anyone running outside in the winter |
| published three groundbreaking reports on brown | | | | time. Getting chilled every now and then is a good way |
| adipose tissue, a type of fat tissue that burns calories | | | | to perk up this type of fat. |
| and disposes of them as heat - a helpful way tool for | | | | Brown adipose tissue is brown because it has a lot of |
| anyone seeking to lose weight. For years Western | | | | nerves going to it and a lot of blood, as different from |
| medicine has believed brown adipose tissue was not | | | | white adipose tissue. Any stimulant, whether nutritional |
| active in adults - no longer - brown fat is now a new | | | | or a drug, tends to help weight loss, at least |
| target for drug design. Of course, no drug will be better | | | | temporarily, by activating brown adipose tissue. The |
| than you simply getting your own brown fat working | | | | problem with this strategy is it stresses your kidneys, |
| better. | | | | tends to raise your blood pressure, and can depress |
| The first study involved 24 men, 10 normal weight and | | | | leptin into starvation mode - meaning once the |
| 14 overweight or obese. Researchers used | | | | stimulation is over then weight is gained back. This is |
| positron-emission tomography and computed | | | | why I don't use any stimulants in Wellness Resources |
| tomography (PET-CT) scans to view metabolic | | | | weight management supplements. |
| activation of brown adipose tissue. At normal | | | | You can also safely activate brown adipose tissue by |
| temperature there was no activation. Upon exposure | | | | doing short bursts of intense activity. Jumping jacks, |
| to cold brown fat tissues lit up, proving that these | | | | deep knee bends/squats, a quick trip up and down the |
| types of tissues are metabolically active in adults. | | | | stairs, etc, will boost your sympathetic nerve activation |
| Unfortunately, those with the most extra white fat | | | | and stimulate brown adipose tissue. |
| (meaning the most overweight) were the ones with | | | | However, those who are overweight have less active |
| the smallest amount of brown fat. | | | | brown fat because it has become marbleized with |
| The second study analyzed 3640 patients with | | | | white fat (just like their muscles, heart, liver, and |
| PET-CT scans performed for various diagnostic | | | | circulatory system). There is still hope, because such |
| reasons. This study did not intentionally try to activate | | | | individuals can activate a cousin of uncoupling protein 1 |
| brown adipose tissue, but did find it present in adults. | | | | called uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3). UPC3 is activated in |
| There was less of it in older people and it directly | | | | your muscles when you exercise and is also a great |
| declined in response to body mass index (obesity). | | | | way to "throw away excess calories" as heat - |
| The third study used PET scans in 5 healthy people to | | | | however it does not stress your heart and kidneys or |
| show that cold exposure increased metabolic activity | | | | depress leptin, like stimulants do. |
| in brown adipose tissue 15 fold over baseline | | | | I explain the details of how to activate UCP3 in my |
| inactivation. This is a major compensating effort to | | | | article on Q10 and my tips on running. DHA also helps |
| make heat - and burn calories to make 100% heat (not | | | | activate UCP3. Thus, a person can use a combination |
| making any energy). Biopsy specimens from the | | | | of nutrition and exercise to safely burn extra calories |
| activated tissue proved that uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) | | | | to assist weight loss, and then regain their natural |
| was activated, which enabled the heat producing | | | | supply of brown fat (by unclogging the white fat out of |
| metabolic response. | | | | it through weight loss), at which point metabolism will |
| Collectively, these studies prove that brown adipose | | | | run much better on its own. |
| tissue is activated by cold exposure - which should be | | | | |