Brown Fat Might Be A Key To Weight Control
December 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Our bodies have small amounts of a calorie-burning tissue referred to as brown fat (brown adipose tissue, BAT). This turns into food energy directly into heat. White fat, on the other hand, stores energy. Increasing brown fat production may help people lose weight and regulate body fat. BAT endorses non-shivering thermogenesis, which produces heat and helps animals and humans get the cold. It is triggered by the sympathetic nervous system, which is the body’s fight-or-flight system for coping with stress and emergencies.
BAT stops weight gain
BAT stops weight gain by increasing metabolic rate after overeating. While BAT is vital for temperature controls in infants, it was not necessarily an important source of heat generation in adults. Scientists created a scanner known as the Postiron Emission Tomography (PET) to spot tumor growth. Patients are given radioactive glucose (sugar) that is taken up metabolically active tissue like cancer cells.
Scientists revealed important amounts of metabolically active brown fat in adults during PET scans. Most human BAT are found in the neck and above the collarbones, with some around the spine and aorta (large artery leaving the heart). Personal differences in BAT may play a major role in obesity. Recent studies revealed that stimulating the genes that safe guard BAT production might help treat obesity.
Source: WebMD, August 21, 2008
