What Is Brown Fat? Can It Help with Weight Loss?

Previously, scientists were under the impression that there was no brown fat in adults. Now, however, new studies conclude that not only is this previous assumption false, but it is this brown fat that may be a vital part of weight control and diets.

Brown Fat vs. White Fat

Our bodies have two types of fat: white and brown. When we consume too many calories, our body turns the excess calories into white fat and stores it for energy later on. If you are trying to lose weight, you need to burn more energy than you take in. It is only then when your body taps into these fat reserves and subsequently breaks them down for additional energy.

The other type of fat called brown fat burns up chemical energy to make heat. It helps our bodies to maintain a proper temperature. Brown fat is found in small animals from birth to adulthood. In humans, babies have high amounts of brown fat when they are born but as we age, our brown fat levels start to decrease. This is why researchers previously believed that adults do not have brown fat anymore. Truthfully, it was just simply too hard for scientists to measure these levels in adults.

Scientists can now test for brown fat levels using sugar. Cells that absorb the sugar are metabolically active, thus indicating the presence of brown fat. The cells are then seen through whole-body scans to determine which ones are active and which are not. In one study, women had more brown fat than men, as well as a higher level of sugar uptake. The greatest amount of brown fat was most common in a part of the neck.

Most importantly, the less brown fat an individual had, the greater his body mass index was, especially in older people. This conclusion suggests that brown fat plays an important part in the way the body metabolizes its food.

Current Research

Now, scientists are developing ways to measure brown fat in adults. Recent studies have concluded that the more brown fat a person has, the lower the overall body mass. This is a stark contrast from what we know about white fat—the more white fat, the greater the body mass. Scientists are discussing whether or not they can manipulate fat cells as they develop to create more brown fat instead of white fat in an attempt to treat obesity.

Possible Obesity Treatment

Before this can be attempted, however, more research must be done regarding the formation and expansion of both types of fat. Scientists in New York have identified the specific process that is responsible for the formation of both fat types in mice. In mice that could not perform autophagy, there were far more brown fat cells than white fat and these mice were thinner. When a body receives no food or nutrition and is entering starvation mode, the brain cells, among other parts of the body, begin to eat themselves for energy—a process known as autophagy. In response, the body produces fatty acids that trigger the brain’s hunger signal, causing an impulse to eat. When autophagy is partially stopped or completely prevented, hunger levels did not rise in response to starvation and, after a brief period of fasting, the mice became leaner and slimmer.

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