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science nutrition blog

science nutrition <strong>blog</strong>

By Steve Blechman

 

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 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.

A study published in the journal Cell Metabolism on August 4, 2020 was reported by ScienceDaily on August 5, 2020 and stated, “An international research team has discovered how to activate brown fat in humans, which may lead to new treatments for type 2 diabetes and obesity.”

Research has found that exposure to cold temperature (65 degrees Fahrenheit) and consumption of spicy foods such as capsaicin found in chili peppers can activate brown fat. Also, research has found that caffeine and coffee can also increase brown fat. Caffeine is a natural agonist of adrenalin, which can activate b2-AR.

A report appeared on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine that nearly half of American adults will be obese within a decade. The report was led by the scientists at Harvard University and George Washington University. The new research predicts that by 2030, about 50% of U.S. adults will be obese. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 40% of U.S. adults are obese today.

It was most recently 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 free PDF version here

©Published by from Advanced Research Media, Inc. 2020

©Reprinted with permission from Advanced Research Media, Inc.

References:

1. Becher T, Palanisamy S, Kramer DJ, Eljalby M, Marx SJ, Wibmer AG, Butler SD, Jiang CS, Vaughan R, Schöder H, Mark A, Cohen P. Brown adipose tissue is associated with cardiometabolic health. Nat Med. 2021 Jan 4. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-1126-7. Epub, ahead of print. PMID: 33398160. 2. Rockefeller University. Study of 50,000 people finds brown fat may protect against numerous chronic diseases. ScienceDaily, 4 January 2021. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210104114103.htm 3. Blondin DP, Nielsen S, Kuipers EN, Severinsen MC, Jensen VH, Miard S, Jespersen NZ, Kooijman S, Boon MR, Fortin M, Phoenix S, Frisch F, Guérin B, Turcotte ÉE, Haman F, Richard D, Picard F, Rensen PCN, Scheele C, Carpentier AC. Human Brown Adipocyte Thermogenesis Is Driven by β2-AR Stimulation. Cell Metab. 2020 Aug 4;32(2):287-300.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2020.07.005. PMID: 32755608. 4. University of Copenhagen The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. Scientists discover the switch that makes human brown fat burn energy. ScienceDaily, 5 August 2020. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200805102023.htm