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science nutrition blog

science nutrition <strong>blog</strong>

By Steve Blechman

 

It was reported last week in the prestigious journal Nature Communications on June 3, 2021, that boosting brown fat might fight type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. And in the May 24 issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, the possible protective role of brown fat in prostate cancer was reported. And a new study appearing in the December 2021 issue of the journal Adipocyte has reported that brown fat is a “novel therapeutic strategy for obesity.”

For the past 5 years, I have written many articles on the health and fat-loss benefits of brown adipose tissue (brown fat). The widely held belief that all body fat is bad is currently being heavily scrutinized, due to the recent discovery of a different type of fat in humans known as brown fat. This type of body fat can actually burn off energy in the form of heat by a process known as thermogenesis, which can ultimately reduce overall body fat.

The body has two forms of fat: white fat, or unwanted fat that can lie directly underneath the skin, and brown fat, which often is found in the shoulder blade region or the neck. Unlike white fat, brown fat is the good fat as it can help burn more calories. The more brown fat you have, the more calories you burn. Brown fat is often referred to as "the fat that makes you thin."

Brown fat is packed with mitochondria loaded with UCP-1, the protein that uncouples fat burning with ATP (energy) production instead of converting the energy into heat via thermogenesis, making the mitochondria effectively the furnace of the cell. The emergence of brown fat as a readily available fat-burning furnace is revolutionary, but like any fire, it requires the proper kindling materials. The ability to get lean by producing extra brown fat, or enhancing the activity of existing brown fat, represents a promising way to burn fat and lose weight.

Several landmark discoveries and approaches to enhancing brown fat function are being explored at major research centers and universities worldwide, with great excitement. Brown fat research is a hot topic today and in 2021.

Research has found that exposure to cold temperature (65 degrees Fahrenheit) and consumption of spicy foods such as capsaicin and capsinoids found in chili peppers can activate brown fat. Also the spices Grains of Paradise, ginger and cinnamon. Plus, research has found that caffeine and coffee can also increase brown fat, as well virgin olive oil and polyphenols found in grapes, grape skins and other fruits. And the sleeping aid melatonin. Unfortunately, recent research has shown that the dietary supplement Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) is not effective for increasing brown fat in the body (in vivo) of humans or for weight loss.

It was also reported in ScienceDaily on January 4, 2021 that “A new study in Nature offers strong evidence: among over 52,000 participants, those who had detectable brown fat were less likely than their peers to suffer cardiac and metabolic conditions ranging from type 2 diabetes to coronary artery disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States.” 

The Nature report acknowledged that individuals with more brown fat had lower risk of type 2 diabetes, elevated blood lipids, cardiovascular disease, cerebral vascular disease, congestive heart failure and hypertension.

“The study, by far the largest of its kind in humans, confirms and expands the health benefits of brown fat suggested by previous studies. For the first time, it reveals a link to lower risk of certain conditions,” says Paul Cohen, the Albert Resnick, M.D., Assistant Professor and senior attending physician at The Rockefeller University Hospital. “These findings make us more confident about the potential of targeting brown fat for therapeutic benefit.” 

“Large-scale studies of brown fat, however, have been practically impossible because this tissue shows up only on PET scans, a special type of medical imaging.”

“In collaboration with Heiko Schoder and Andreas Wibmer at Memorial Sloan Kettering, the researchers reviewed 130,000 PET scans from more than 52,000 patients and found the presence of brown fat in nearly 10 percent of individuals.” 

“The team plans to further study the biology of brown fat, including by looking for genetic variants that may explain why some people have more of it than others -- potential first steps toward developing pharmacological ways to stimulate brown fat activity to treat obesity and related conditions.”

Over the last few years, I’ve launched AML™ THERMO HEAT®, the most scientifically advanced brown fat and thermogenic supplement line ever developed! This new brown fat revolution in weight loss is the focus of the book Thermo Heat™ Weight Loss Revolution by Michael J. Rudolph, Ph.D. that includes the foreword by Daniel L. Friedman, MD and Eugene B. Friedman, M.D. You can click the link to order on Amazon here published by Advanced Research Media, Inc. You can also get a PDF version here

 

©Published by from Advanced Research Media, Inc. 2020

©Reprinted with permission from Advanced Research Media, Inc.

 

References:

 

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