How is brown fat different from other fat? Mayo Clinic
How is brown fat different from other fat? - Mayo Clinic
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Products and servicesWhat is brown fat How is it different from other body fat
Answer From Donald Hensrud, M.D. Brown fat, also called brown adipose tissue, is a special type of body fat that is turned on (activated) when you get cold. Brown fat produces heat to help maintain your body temperature in cold conditions. Brown fat contains many more mitochondria than does white fat. These mitochondria are the "engines" in brown fat that burn calories to produce heat. Brown fat has generated interest among researchers because it appears to be able to use regular body fat as fuel. In addition, exercise may stimulate hormones that activate brown fat. It's too soon to know whether brown fat's calorie-burning properties can be harnessed for weight loss. In the meantime, be sure to include physical activity in your weight management plans. With Donald Hensrud, M.D. Apple cider vinegarCoffee calories ShareTweet Nov. 05, 2020 Show references Loh RKC, et al. Human brown adipose tissue as a target for obesity management; beyond cold-induced thermogenesis. Obesity Reviews. 2017;11:1227. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.12584. Accessed Oct. 8, 2018. Leung WKC, et al. Association of markers of proinflammatory phenotype and beige adipogenesis with metabolic syndrome in Chinese centrally obese adults. Journal of Diabetes Research. 2018;2018:8956509. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jdr/2018/8956509/. Accessed Oct. 8, 2018. Hwang Y-C, et al. The ratio of skeletal muscle mass to visceral fat area is a main determinant linking circulating irisin to metabolic phenotype. Cardiovascular Diabetology. 2016;15:9. https://cardiab.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12933-015-0319-8. Accessed Oct. 8, 2018. Yang X, et al. Switching harmful visceral fat to beneficial energy combustion improves metabolic dysfunctions. JCI Insight. 2017;2:e89044. https://insight.jci.org/articles/view/89044 . Accessed Oct. 8, 2018. Schwartz MW, et al. Obesity pathogenesis: An Endocrine Society scientific statement. Endocrine Reviews. 2017;38:267. Hensrud DD (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Oct. 8, 2018. Braun K, et al. Non-adrenergic control of lipolysis and thermogenesis in adipose tissues. Journal of Experimental Biology. 2018;221:165381. See more Expert AnswersProducts and Services
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