Scientists have discovered that exposure to cold conditions is a way to activate brown fat. It was shown in a study that brown adipose was activated after subjects were exposed during 10 consecutive days in mild-cold conditions (15-16 degrees).
Exposing your body to cool and even cold temperatures may help recruit more brown fat cells. Some research suggests that just 2 hours of exposure each day to temperatures around 66°F (19°C) may be enough to turn recruitable fat brown. You may consider taking a cold shower or ice bath.
Brown fat foods and compounds that boost activity or induce the browning of white fat include turmeric, green tea, chili peppers, fish oil, resveratrol, berberine, and cinnamon. Other ways to activate brown fat include cold exposure and moderate exercise.
Feeling “chilly” for 20 minutes daily can fire up your brown fat's calorie-burn in as little as 24 hours, say British researchers. What's more, the more often you're exposed to bursts of cold, the more efficient your brown fat becomes at incinerating food to produce heat.
Turmeric's curcumin increases production of energy-producing mitochondria, which generate brown fat. Plus, this Ayurvedic staple spice increases levels of the fat-burning enzyme lipase, which is linked to the reduction of fat cells and increase of fat metabolism.
Very simply, white fat stores energy and calories while brown fat burns energy and calories. Because brown fat burns calories to generate heat, it is often referred to as the “good” fat. Infants have a lot of brown fat, but the levels of brown fat decrease as we become adults.
Short-term cold exposure may help people with brown fat burn 15 percent more calories than those without, according to a small study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Brown fat breaks down blood sugar (glucose) and fat molecules to create heat and help maintain body temperature. Cold temperatures activate brown fat, which leads to various metabolic changes in the body. Most of our fat, however, is white fat, which stores extra energy.
"Classical" brown fat is found in highly vascularized deposits in somewhat consistent anatomical locations, such as between the shoulder blades, surrounding the kidneys, the neck, and supraclavicular area, and along the spinal cord.
However, how to safely increase brown fat tissue has eluded researchers, until now. In a study published by Scientific Reports , scientists report their success with a method to directly convert white fat to brown fat outside the body and then return it to the patient as a transplant.
“Cold exposure increases the amount of brown fat that is present in the body,” says Cannon, who has published research on brown fat and its health benefits.
SculpSure® is one such treatment that uses high temperatures to destroy fat. “SculpSure® is a device that uses laser technology to non-invasively warm fat cells to a specific temperature — 107 to 116 degrees Fahrenheit — causing apoptosis (cell death) without compromising the skin,” Dr.
A new study suggests that ice baths may help burn body fat. Cold water exposure also appears to protect against insulin resistance and diabetes. Other health benefits were less clear, however.
Increasing exercise and physical activity may help to increase a protein called irisin, which may be able to convert white fat to brown fat, says Prest.
Although there are no official dosage guidelines for these supplements, most research suggests that 500–2,000 mg of turmeric extract per day is sufficient to see potential benefits ( 8 ).
According to a study conducted at the Tufts University, curcumin can actually suppress fat tissue growth. Another way in which turmeric helps in losing weight by regulating sugar levels and further preventing insulin resistance. This results in excess fat that is not retained in the body.
Seema Singh, chief clinical nutritionist & HOD, Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, told indianexpress.com, “Besides reducing inflammation associated with obesity, consumption of turmeric increases the metabolic rate which helps burn calories faster in the body. Turmeric water or turmeric tea can help you reduce belly fat.
Unfortunately, turmeric doesn't offer a quick fix, so you'll need to take it daily to notice results. If you were wondering how long it takes turmeric to work, this can vary from person to person. However, you should usually expect to start noticing improvements in around 4-8 weeks when taken daily.
Fat production in adipocytes is strongly stimulated by insulin.
The best way to help the body stimulate/metabolism and activate the fat burning abilities is to eat thermogenic foods, drink plenty of water, exercise regularly (Paul 2009).
Scientists have discovered that exposure to cold conditions is a way to activate brown fat. It was shown in a study that brown adipose was activated after subjects were exposed during 10 consecutive days in mild-cold conditions (15-16 degrees).
Here's where green tea comes in: A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that along with caffeine, the catechin compounds in green tea increased brown fat among the study participants. And the more calorie-burning brown fat an adult has, the better.