We all know that there is both good and bad cholesterol. Now, it seems, there is good and bad fat as well. Scientists have long believed that this good fat was usually gone or inactive once adulthood is reached.
So what is so special about this fat? Well, it induces the body to burn calories so it can create body heat. This fat is important in infancy, because it helps to keep the newborn warm.
Recently researchers performing three separate studies – from Boston, Finland and the Netherlands – have found that some of the good fat remains in adulthood. This good fat affects metabolism and could possibly help people lose weight in the future.
An endocrinology and metabolism researcher at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Dr. Francesco Celi, announced that the studies reveal that this certain kind of fat burns substantial amounts of energy. He also said that this fat could be used in a pill that could rev up the fat.
Dr. Louis Aronne, former president of the Obesity Society and a weight control expert at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, proclaimed that the discoveries are the most convincing proof of the function of this fat in regulating body temperature and weight. He said that because the fat seems to be eliminating calories, it could possibly be used for a sort of ‘exercise-in-a-pill’ treatment. He also said that any treatment for obesity that is developed from this special fat could also be a possible treatment for diabetes.
This good fat is brownish in color, while the more prevalent fat is whitish or yellow. The neck and under the collarbone are the areas in which the brown fat is mostly stored. The waistline is the area that the white fat is mostly found. There it stores excess energy and releases chemicals that control metabolism and insulin use.
The existence and occurrences of the brown fat was recorded by the three research groups by looking at tissue samples taken from patients. High-tech imaging was used to reveal how much sugar and calories that the fat burned.
The New England Journal of Medicine published the results of these studies on Thursday, April 9, 2009.
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