Fat for Fat Loss – New Study Finding Fat Can Help with Weight-Loss

A new study released in April 2009 has found that a form of fat actually aids in metabolizing fat and losing weight. The fat, called brown adipose tissue (or brown fat in laymen’s terms), burns calories, while the more common fat, which is yellowish-white, stores calories and packs-on-pounds in undesirable problem areas. According to NPR.org, brown fat generates heat and helps maintain the body’s core temperature. It is predominant in infants, as they are more prone to colds, and as age increases, brown fat decreases. Though younger people have more brown fat than older people, leaner people have a higher distribution than obese individuals. It is unknown whether or not obesity is caused by the lack of brown fat or if the amount of brown fat decreases as the individual gains weight.  This discovery could reinvent the weight-loss industry as it could generate new ways to burn fat. Researchers speculate there could be a drug formulated to activate brown fat. Brown fat is activated in the presence of cold weather, so keeping the thermostat down could also be of benefit for people looking to shed some weight.