I recently stumbled on the brown vs white fat concept, something I had not heard of before. I'm finding this very interesting. Who knew! Below is a brief summary of these two fats.
1. Brown Fat
This fat is
composed of several small lipid (fat) droplets and a large number of
iron-containing mitochondria (the cell’s heat-burning engine). The iron,
along with lots of blood tiny blood vessels, gives this fat its
brownish appearance. Brown fat is usually found in the front and back of
the neck and upper back.
The purpose of brown
fat is to burn calories in order to generate heat. That’s why brown fat
is often referred to as the “good” fat, since it helps us burn, not
store, calories. Brown fat is derived from muscle tissue and is found
primarily in hibernating animals and newborns. After life as an infant,
the quantity of brown fat significantly decreases. Adults who have
comparatively more brown fat tend to be younger and slender and have
normal blood sugar levels.
You generate brown fat by:
exercising, which can convert white-yellow fat to a more metabolically
active brown fat; getting enough high-quality sleep, as proper melatonin
production influences the production of brown fat; and exposing
yourself to the cold regularly, such as exercising outdoors in the
wintertime or in a cold room. Lowering the temperature in your living
and working spaces is another tip.
Bottom line: You want as much of this type of fat as possible. Bring on the brown!
2. White Fat.
This type of fat is composed of a single lipid droplet and has far less
mitochondria and blood vessels, thus resulting in its lighter white or
yellow appearance. White fat is the predominant form of fat in the body,
originating from connective tissue.
White fat
has many purposes. It provides the largest energy reserve in the body.
It’s a thermal insulator and cushion for our internal organs, and
cushions during external interactions with our environment (that’s code
for a soft landing when we fall on our behind!). It is a major endocrine
organ, producing one form of estrogen as well as leptin, a hormone that
helps regulate appetite and hunger. It’s also got receptors for
insulin, growth hormone, adrenaline, and cortisol (stress hormone). So,
it’s a myth that fat cells just sit there and do nothing all day long!
White
fat is found, oh heck, you know where it’s found. Just look in the
mirror! In women, excess fat accumulates around the hips, thighs,
buttocks, and breasts until perimenopause (the 40s), when fat is
redistributed to the abdomen as well. Men tend to gather excess fat
primarily in the belly region most of their lives.
An
excess of white fat inside the belly (visceral fat) is associated with
metabolic syndrome—a group of symptoms that signal an increased risk for
heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Location of body fat really
counts! Excess white fat throughout the body is associated with an
increased risk of breast, colon, esophageal, gall bladder, and
pancreatic cancer. It’s also associated with sleep apnea, and physical
disabilities such as knee arthritis.
Here’s how much white fat a “normal-weight” person
would carry throughout a lifetime: Men’s body fat range is 15 to 25
percent; women’s is 15 to 30 percent. Your generic 154-pound person
would carry about 20 pounds of fat. One pound of stored fat contains
roughly 4,000 calories, so 20 pounds has 80,000 calories of energy
storage. If you required 2,000 calories to live per day, you’d last
about 40 days on a desert island. These numbers aren’t meant to be
perfect or exact, but instead, give you a broad, general idea.
You generate white fat by: consuming too many calories and expending too few calories.
Bottom line:
As a species, white fat is very important to our survival. It’s a
matter of how much and where it’s located. You want to control your
visceral fat level (keeping your waist circumference to less than 35
inches if you’re a woman, and to less than 40 inches if you’re a man)
and keep your total body fat within the normal ranges for each gender.
Does
white fat interact with brown fat? You better believe it. New research
shows that when people overeat, they not only increase their total
amount of white fat, but the over consumption results in their brown fat
becoming dysfunctional and thus unable to burn calories.
Starting
today, make it a point to achieve two major goals: Optimize your brown
fat function and manage your white fat load—by doing precisely the same
thing. That is, eat whole foods in moderation, stay active, practice
stress resilience, and lead a mindful lifestyle. You’ll keep those
mitochondria hummin’ while your health and wellness skyrocket!
*Article from Women's Health
