Photo: Jeff Vinluan

Can brown fat help you lose weight?

This process is called thermogenesis. During this process, the brown fat also burns calories. Brown fat burns calories to create heat when you are cold, says Prest, “so in theory, your body needs or uses more calories for this process.”

prevention.com - How to Increase Your Brown Fat to Burn More Calories - Prevention.com

At what age does your metabolism slow down the most?

Over time, studies have shown that metabolic rate (how fast we burn calories) starts to slow down by 2 to 3 percent each decade, beginning in our...

Last updated Aug 12, 2022

How much apple cider vinegar should you drink to cleanse your liver?

2 tablespoons Mix 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 ml) of apple cider vinegar with 1 cup (237 ml) of water. Ingesting undiluted vinegar of any kind can...

Last updated Dec 21, 2018

Promotion

When it comes to losing weight and burning fat , there’s a lot to consider—including that fat serves a purpose in our bodies and can offer health benefits. Some studies show that there may be a benefit to looking more closely at brown fat, specifically. Researchers have long known that many of us have an excess of white fat: The kind that ups the risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes , and more. But now, emerging research is suggesting that it’s possible that increasing our levels of brown fat can actually help us burn calories in the long run. So how does increasing one kind of fat help you decrease the kind of fat you may want to lose? While this may seem too good to be true, we have consulted with Melissa Prest, D.C.N, R.D.N. , spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and member of Prevention ’s Medical Review Board , to explain to you exactly what brown fat is, how it helps you burn more calories, and how to boost your own.

What is brown fat?

Brown fat helps regulate body temperature keeping you warm, says Prest. “Babies are born with a lot of brown fat because they cannot shiver and the brown fat helps to keep them warm when it is cold.” She adds that “as we age, we lose brown fat since we have other ways to regulate body temperature like shivering when cold.”

What is the purpose of your different types of body fat?

There are several different types of fat , and it’s time to rethink how we perceive fatness . Each kind of fat serves its own purpose in our bodies and has its own effect on our health.

White fat

When you think about the fat in and on your body, the standard type of fat that comes to mind ix white fat, or white adipose tissue. White fat, which is usually yellowish in color, is a good source of stored energy and helps to cushion your body’s organs, says Prest. However, an excess of white fat can cause obesity, which can lead to increased risk for larger health concerns. “Too much white fat in your abdomen is associated with a higher risk of chronic diseases,” explains Prest.

Brown fat

How to reduce appetite?

13 Science-Based Ways to Reduce Hunger and Appetite Eat enough protein. ... Opt for fiber-rich foods. ... Drink plenty of water. ... Choose solids...

Last updated Sep 16, 2019

What happens if you drink apple cider vinegar 2 times a day?

It may help with weight loss. One study showed that taking apple cider vinegar twice a day helped people following a reduced-calorie diet lose a...

Last updated Nov 3, 2019

Promotion

Brown fat, or brown adipose tissue, has the ability to store energy in a smaller space than white fat. Brown fat’s main purpose is to help regulate body temperature, says Prest. The brown fat in our bodies does this “by signaling the mitochondria to make energy, which creates warmth.” When brown fat burns, it creates heat without shivering. This process is called thermogenesis . During this process, the brown fat also burns calories. Brown fat burns calories to create heat when you are cold, says Prest, “so in theory, your body needs or uses more calories for this process.”

Beige fat

Beige fat is a combination of white and brown fat cells. According to the Cleveland Clinic , these cells burn calories to regulate body temperature by converting white fat cells to brown.

What are some ways to increase brown fat?

1. Cold Exposure

“Exposure to cooler temperatures may trigger your body to create more brown fat,” says Prest. One study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation , looked at 12 young men with lower-than-average amounts of active brown fat who were asked to sit in a 63-degree Fahrenheit room for two hours a day over the course of six weeks. They burned an extra 108 calories in the cold compared with normal indoor temperatures. Even better, after six weeks their bodies were burning an extra 289 calories in the cold, prompting researchers to hypothesize that the exposure to lower temps increased the activity of a gene that converts white fat to brown.

2. Exercise

Increasing exercise and physical activity may help to increase a protein called irisin, which may be able to convert white fat to brown fat, says Prest. “Leaner people tend to have more brown fat than those who are sedentary.” One animal study published in the journal Disease Models and Mechanisms found that working out triggers the release of irisin that prompts white fat cells to convert to brown. Newer research presented at the 2013 annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association found that exercise can prompt the browning of fat in men, with the benefits still increasing after 12 weeks of training on an exercise bike .

3. Stimulate your body’s melatonin production

Not only does the hormone melatonin help regulate our sleep-wake cycle, but research published in the Journal of Pineal Research found that in rats, it increases the presence of beige fat, which is similar to brown fat in its calorie-burning capabilities. While you might be tempted to take a supplement, experts say it’s best to stimulate your body’s own natural production by avoiding nighttime exposure to light from TVs, computers and other screens, getting sunlight exposure during the day, and loading up on melatonin-rich foods, including almonds, tomatoes, tart cherries, cardamom, and coriander.

4. Don’t starve—or stuff—yourself.

Are fat dissolving injections immediate?

The solution will dissolve the fat cells, which then undergo degradation and absorption by the body over a length of 4 - 6 weeks. Therefore results...

Last updated Mar 9, 2022

How long should it take to lose 100 pounds?

How fast can you lose 100 pounds safely? It's important to note that losing 100 pounds will likely take at least 6 months to a year or longer. Most...

Last updated Jul 22, 2019

Promotion

We rely on hunger-regulating neurons in the brain to notify us when we’ve had enough. Now it turns out these neurons have another duty: Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine found that in mice, these neurons can actually encourage fat to turn brown. The study , published in the journal Cell, found that eating too few calories prevented white fat from turning brown, while eating just enough to satisfy hunger—prompting the action of the neurons—turned white fat to turn brown. Other research shows that eating too much can do harm, as well: Not only does overconsumption increase white fat, but it also interferes with brown fat’s ability to burn calories.

5. Some medications

While there isn’t yet a miracle pill on the market that boosts your brown fat, there is on-going research to use existing medications, meant to treat other conditions, that could also help increase your brown fat content. Medications are being studied for their role in building up brown fat, says Prest. “One of these is called Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) which is often used to treat insulin resistance .” Check here to see a full list of fat-burning foods to add to your diet.

The bottom line

“It is important to know that most of the research available on creating or increasing brown fat has been done in mice and in the lab,” says Prest, “so further studies are needed in humans.” The takeaway? There’s a lot we still don’t know about brown fat. While doctors aren’t quite ready to start offering pills or other quick fixes to convert white fat to brown, you can still try these other natural ways to boost your levels of brown fat—but first, consult your physician.

prevention.com - How to Increase Your Brown Fat to Burn More Calories - Prevention.com

How to lose 5lbs in a day?

Not only is it impossible to lose 5 pounds within 24 hours, but also very dangerous to your health. Instead of looking for such methods, try to aim...

Last updated Jan 31, 2022

How much time do you need off work after a tummy tuck?

approximately two weeks The tummy tuck, medically known as abdominoplasty, requires approximately two weeks off work for full recovery. Most people...

Last updated Jul 14, 2020

Promotion

How can I lose 5 pounds in 24 hours?

Not only is it impossible to lose 5 pounds within 24 hours, but also very dangerous to your health. Instead of looking for such methods, try to aim...

Last updated May 7, 2020

Promotion

Can phentermine make you skinny?

Phentermine belongs to a class of drugs called anorectics, also known as appetite suppressants. Taking phentermine helps suppress your appetite,...

Last updated Aug 1, 2021