Author: Ivan Red Jr.
Time for reading: ~2
minutes
Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
The reason for this is that brown fat is activated by the cold and begins to burn calories faster than normal.
According to a study conducted by a team of American and Swedish scientists, shivering from the cold helps to activate brown adipose tissue and, consequently, to lose weight. The results of the study were published in the medical journal New england journal of medicine.
Experts remind that in addition to subcutaneous white fat in the human body there is also the so-called brown adipose tissue.
Brown fat is actually a fatty tissue with a reddish-orange tinge. Compared to other fats in the human body, it is in very small amounts. The main and most important function of brown adipose tissue is to warm the body and cause sweating.
Brown fat in the shoulder blades in babies is known to help them maintain their body temperature after birth. Until recently, it was thought that only the baby's body contained this type of fat. Studies have shown that it is present in adults. It can be detected after exposure to low temperatures.
The researchers found that by stimulating the production of brown fat in the body of experimental mice, rodents did not suffer from obesity and were at lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
People who have more brown fat are weaker. The reason for this is that brown fat is activated by the cold and begins to burn calories faster than normal. Scientists hope that the discovery could lead to the development of a method to activate this fat and achieve additional calorie burning without exercise.
According to research done so far, 50 grams of the most active brown fat can burn up to 500 calories a day.
According to experts, 50% of people have reserves of brown fat in their necks, and women have more than men. When people shiver from the cold, the brown fat becomes active and begins to burn the subcutaneous deposits in a completely natural way.
To prove this, Sven Enerbak of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, conducted an experimental study. 24 volunteers were kept cold for a period of time and then examined with a positron emission tomograph. The results showed activation of brown fat stores with each cooling of the body. When the body warms up, it is seen that the brown fat is not active.
Scientists see stimulating brown fat stores as a new approach to fighting obesity. According to them, injecting 50-100 grams of brown fat cells into a person's body will help speed up the metabolism and burn the accumulated "white" fat faster.