7 questions about brown fat

1. Brown fat is a special substance: it sounds dirty, it has the color of meat gravy and yet it is good for the body. Seven Questions One Answers About Brown Fat.

1. There are many stories about brown fat: it is even the remedy for the fight against obesity. Losing weight by chilling a bit: could it really be that easy? Science - for the time being - doesn't think so.

2. There are many stories about brown fat: it is even the remedy for the fight against obesity. Losing weight by chilling a bit: could it really be that easy? Science does not think so - for the time being.

What is brown fat?

1. Brown fat is a fat tissue that converts energy into heat - it burns calories. The fat becomes active when the body is cold and then ensures that the body temperature is maintained through combustion. Hibernating mammals use the same brown fat to keep warm during hibernation.

2. Brown fat is adipose tissue that converts energy into heat - it burns calories. The fat becomes active when the body is cold and then ensures that the body temperature is maintained through combustion. Hibernating mammals use the same brown fat to keep warm during hibernation.

What is the difference between brown fat and white fat?

1. The big difference between brown and white fat is how the fat works. Brown fat converts energy into heat and thus helps keep your body at the right temperature. White fat also has an insulating function, but it works differently: it stores calories, among other things around the organs and in visible places such as around the hips and on the stomach. Brown fat is good for your health, white fat is not.

Where do we find brown fat?

1. It appears that brown fat is mainly located in essential areas such as the main arteries, nervous system and heart. Researchers think this has to do with the warming function of brown fat: it is precisely in those crucial places that the body has to stay at the right temperature.

Does every person have brown fat?

1. Yes, but not everyone has the same amount of brown fat: both the amount and the activity are determined by age and body weight. To find out the influence of age and weight, physician-researcher Dr. Lonneke Bähler (PhD) conducted research with three groups of people: young slim men, young fat men and old slim men. They underwent several tests after spending a few hours in a room at 16 to 18 degrees. It turned out that the burn in brown fat was much lower in the elderly than in the young. Not only did the elderly have much less brown fat, the brown fat was also less active. The difference between fat and thin was surprising: the activity of brown fat in fat men was only slightly less than in the thin men. The difference was much smaller than science thought. Thus, it appears that age plays a greater role in the amount and activity of brown fat than the overweight factor.

2. Yes, but not everyone has the same amount of brown fat: both the amount and the activity are determined by age and body weight. To find out the influence of age and weight, physician-researcher Dr. Lonneke Bähler (PhD) conducted research with three groups of people: young slim men, young fat men and old slim men. They underwent several tests after spending a few hours in a room of 16 to 18 degrees. It turned out that the combustion in brown fat was much lower in the elderly than in the young. Not only did the elderly have much less brown fat, the brown fat was also less active. The difference between fat and thin was surprising: the activity of brown fat in fat men was only slightly less than in the thin men. The difference was much smaller than science thought. So it appears that age plays a greater role in the amount and activity of brown fat than the overweight factor.

Why do the elderly have less brown fat?

1. For the time being, the answer to this question falls into the category â € ˜what was before - the chicken or the egg? Â € ™ During her research, Dr. Bähler also looked at the nervous system of the subjects. The nervous system was less active in the group of older, lean men and the question is now why. Is the combustion less because the nerve pathways are less active, or is the combustion less because the brown fat is less sensitive to the signals from the nerves? To find the answer to this question, further research is needed.

2. For the time being the answer to this question falls into the category â € what came before - the chicken or the egg?  € ™ During her research, Dr. Bähler also looked at the nervous system of the subjects. The nervous system was less active in the group of older, slim men and the question now is why. Is the combustion less because the nerve pathways are less active, or is the combustion less because the brown fat is less sensitive to the signals from the nerves? To find the answer to this question, further research is needed.

Is brown fat the new holy grail in the fight against obesity?

1. No, says Dr. Lonneke Bähler on the basis of her research. No, the Netherlands Nutrition Center also states. To lose weight you need to eat less, healthier and more regularly, and exercise more. Regarding the role of brown fat, further research needs to be done. It may be possible to increase the volume and combustion of brown fat by stimulating brown fat (via nerve pathways, for example). But whether that succeeds and whether that will give results is still a big question mark.

2. No, says Dr. Lonneke Bähler on the basis of her research. No, the Netherlands Nutrition Center also states. To lose weight you need to eat less, healthier and more regularly, and exercise more. Regarding the role of brown fat, further research needs to be done. It may be possible to increase the volume and combustion of brown fat by stimulating brown fat (via nerve pathways, for example). But whether that succeeds and whether that will give results is still a big question mark.

So you don't have to lower the heater?

1. Because a lower temperature activates brown fat, stories quickly surfaced that you would lose weight if you turned the thermostat a little lower. Unfortunately, it is not that easy. The lower temperature ensures that brown fat becomes slightly more active, which is good for your physical health anyway. But to really lose weight, more is needed: the well-known healthy eating pattern in combination with more exercise. Liesbeth van Rossum is an internist and endocrinologist and Mariette Boon is an internist in training and researcher into brown fat. Together they wrote the bestseller 'Fat important'. This duo knows everything about body fat and how you can influence it. Do you want to lose weight? Then listen to the podcast below before you start with a diet, because then you can avoid common mistakes. A A