Brown fat: What you should know

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor II Ho Viet Le Diem - General Internal Medicine - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.
Unlike other types of fat, brown fat has the effect of burning calories, fighting obesity. Many studies have shown that when the human body has a low BMI, there is a tendency to have more brown fat than the average person.

1. Things to know about brown fat

1.1 What is brown fat? Brown fat, also known as brown adipose tissue, is a special type of fat in the body that turns on (activated) when you're cold. Brown fat generates heat to help maintain body temperature in cold conditions.
Brown fat contains more mitochondria than white fat. These mitochondria are the "engines" in brown fat that help burn calories to generate heat.
1.2 The role of brown fat in the body According to a 2014 study conducted by researchers from the National Institutes of Health and published in the journal Diabetes, for Time in cold temperatures makes brown fat in your body more active and can even cause you to develop new brown fat cells. According to experts, brown fat helps us to preserve body temperature.
Brown fat helps babies keep warm because babies are not yet able to shiver to keep warm. In adults, brown fat can act as an "inner heater" to keep the blood warm as it flows back to the heart and brain from the cold extremities of the body.

1.3 Where is brown fat found? Brown fat is found in different places on the body. Some people have it in the neck and shoulder area, but not everyone has it there.
In a recent study, researchers also found brown fat in the chest and lower spine of a group of healthy young adults.
1.4 Difficult to find brown fat Finding brown fat cells requires a CT scan to show the location of the fat, combined with a PET scan (this technique requires an injection of radioactive glucose into the body) to confirm determine the most metabolically active cells.

2. How to get brown fat?

2.1 Reducing body temperature Exposure to cool and even cold temperatures can help produce more brown fat cells. Some studies show that as little as two hours of exposure a day to a temperature of about 66 ̊F (19 ̊C) can be enough to turn fat brown.
You can do it by taking a cold shower or an ice bath. Lowering the temperature by a few degrees in your home or going outside in cold weather are other ways to cool down and can produce more brown fat.
2.2 Eat More In several studies, researchers fed rats a lot of food and found that rats with more brown fat burned more calories, helping to stay fit and healthier. this way and the mice were also protected from obesity and other metabolic diseases.
But that doesn't mean you should start eating more to activate brown fat cells. Overeating is still considered a major cause of obesity. Therefore, more research is needed before this approach can be recommended. For now, continue to eat a balanced diet of healthy foods.

2.3 Exercise Another study in rats showed that a protein called irisin can help turn white fat brown.
Exercise is recommended by doctors to fight obesity and keep the cardiovascular system healthy.
150 minutes of moderate activity, such as walking or playing tennis 75 minutes of vigorous activity, such as jogging or swimming Exercise has many health benefits, you should exercise no matter how much brown fat or not.
In addition, healthy lifestyle habits will have the power to help you lose weight, keep your heart and lungs healthy, and ward off heart disease, diabetes and other obesity-related diseases.
2.4 In the future, you may take medicine to activate brown fat A recent discovery shows that there is a drug to treat people with overactive bladder that can boost brown fat activity . This drug, called mirabegron, works by stimulating beta 3 receptors that relax smooth muscles, including the bladder. These receptors are also found on both brown and white fat cells.
These drugs may be helpful to treat people with fatty liver disease.
Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has deployed many general health checkup packages to check the general health of customers, detect many different diseases caused by fat, and provide treatment regimens. personalization.
Depending on the health status, economic conditions and personal preferences, Vinmec hospital doctors will help customers develop a nutritional regimen, a living regimen, an exercise regimen, and a treatment regimen. based on information obtained after examination, testing and conclusions about overall health. From there, the effectiveness of the treatment regimen will be much more effective than general recommendations for the entire population.
Doctor Ho Viet Le Diem has more than 10 years working in the Department of Resuscitation - Cardiac Surgery at Cho Ruong Hospital with the position of cardiologist and Open Heart Resuscitation. And has more than 03 years as a General Internal Medicine doctor at Family Medical Practice in Ho Chi Minh City. Currently, Dr. Diem is working at the Internal Medicine Department - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

Articles refer to sources: healthline.com, livescience.com, webmd.com
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