Is all your fat bad? Most of us today understand the health concerns that come with being overweight or having too much adipose tissue or ‘white fat’! But would you believe, not all your fat is actually bad for you? Let me explain.
There’s another form of fat that has been discovered in the human body called ‘brown fat’ which is actually a preferable fat. Brown fat was initially thought of to be lost once we moved into adulthood but researchers are finding that we still contain this form of fat into adulthood!
Brown fat was found around the necks of new born babies because brown fat is capable of generating a large amount of heat. This is beneficial for babies because they need to stay warm and have yet to learn how to shiver. But how does brown fat benefit us as adults?
Well for one, the reason brown fat is brown is due to the fact that it is densely packed full of mitochondria, the power house of any cell in our body that burns fuel and produces all the energy. They have found that brown fat burns FIVE TIMES the energy as a normal fat cell. This is why it is so good at generating heat and burning fuel. Brown fat is like a super charged engine burning fuel.
They have also found some interesting relationships with exercise and brown fat. When we exercise, we not only burn white fat but we build brown fat stores. There’s also a conversion of white fat cells to brown fat cells during exercise. This is due to the fact that exercise increases production of a gene called UCP1 which creates brown fat stores. So, exercise not only reduces white fat stores but builds brown fat stores and if our brown fat stores are larger in number then it will be easier to burn white fat stores and maintain fat loss. How good is that?
To learn more about how to kick start weight loss and improve your energy level come down to Neurohealth Chiropractic, we are more than happy to help!
If you would like more information or would like to book an appointment at Neurohealth Chiropractic – please call the clinic on 9905 9099 or email us admin@neurohealthchiro.com.au or fill in the contact form from our website www.neurohealthchiro.com.au
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