The New View on Brown Adipose Calorie-Burning

Last week the New England Journal of Medicine published three groundbreaking reports on brown adipose tissue, a type of fat tissue that burns calories and disposes of them as heat – a helpful tool for anyone seeking to lose weight.  For years Western medicine has believed brown adipose tissue was not active in adults – no longer – brown fat is now a new target for drug design.  Of course, no drug will be better than you simply getting your own brown fat working better.

The first study¹ involved 24 men, 10 normal weight and 14 overweight or obese.  Researchers used positron-emission tomography and computed tomography (PET–CT) scans to view metabolic activation of brown adipose tissue.  At normal temperature there was no activation.  Upon exposure to cold brown fat tissues lit up, proving that these types of tissues are metabolically active in adults.  Unfortunately, those with the most extra white fat (meaning the most overweight) were the ones with the smallest amount of brown fat.

The second study analyzed 3640 patients with PET–CT scans performed for various diagnostic reasons.  This study did not intentionally try to activate brown adipose tissue, but did find it present in adults.  There was less of it in older people and it directly declined in response to body mass index (obesity).

The third study³ used PET scans in 5 healthy people to show that cold exposure increased metabolic activity in brown adipose tissue 15 fold over baseline inactivation.  This is a major compensating effort to make heat – and burn calories to make 100% heat (not making any energy).  Biopsy specimens from the activated tissue proved that uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) was activated, which enabled the heat producing metabolic response.

Collectively, these studies prove that brown adipose tissue is activated by cold exposure – which should be no problem for anyone running outside in the winter time.  Getting chilled every now and then is a good way to perk up this type of fat.

Brown adipose tissue is brown because it has a lot of nerves going to it and a lot of blood, as different from white adipose tissue.  Any stimulant, whether natural or a drug, tends to help weight loss, at least temporarily, by activating brown adipose tissue.  The problem with this strategy is it stresses your kidneys, tends to raise your blood pressure, and can depress leptin into starvation mode – meaning once the stimulation is over then weight is gained back.  This is why I don’t use any stimulants in Wellness Resources weight management supplements.
 
You can also safely activate brown adipose tissue by doing short bursts of intense activity.  Jumping jacks, deep knee bends/squats, a quick trip up and down the stairs, etc, will boost your sympathetic nerve activation and stimulate brown adipose tissue.

However, those who are overweight have less active brown fat because it has become marbleized with white fat (just like their muscles, heart, liver, and circulatory system).  There is still hope, because such individuals can activate a cousin of uncoupling protein 1 called uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3).  UPC3 is activated in your muscles when you exercise and is also a great way to “throw away excess calories” as heat - however it does not stress your heart and kidneys or depress leptin, like stimulants do. 

I explain the details of how to activate UCP3 in my article on Q10 and my tips on running.  DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement. also helps activate UCP3.  Thus, a person can use a combination of nutrition and exercise to safely burn extra calories to assist weight loss, and then regain their natural supply of brown fat (by unclogging the white fat out of it through weight loss), at which point metabolism will run much better on its own.