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See Also
See Again
Body fat is not the villain we think it is
- It is important to understand the differences between different types of fats and what is their function in the body.
© Shutterstock
0 / 31 Fotos
Bad reputation
- Indeed, fat has a horrible reputation. We are taught to limit our intake of fatty foods and to keep our body fat percentage to a minimum.
© Shutterstock
1 / 31 Fotos
The full picture
- While it is true that being overweight is generally bad for our health, the actual truth about body fat is a little more nuanced. Let’s take a look at some little-known facts.
© Shutterstock
2 / 31 Fotos
Two types of fat
- We tend to assume that there is only one type of body fat, but in fact there are two major kinds: white fat and brown fat.
© Shutterstock
3 / 31 Fotos
Two types of fat
- White fat is the more common kind and stores energy away. Brown fat, by contrast, actually works to burn the energy we consume.
© Shutterstock
4 / 31 Fotos
The benefits of brown fat
- Aside from burning energy, brown fat serves a number of other important purposes in the body. It may help to ward off diabetes, for example.
© Shutterstock
5 / 31 Fotos
The benefits of brown fat
- According to one study, individuals with higher levels of brown fat in their bodies had smaller fluctuations in blood sugar and were therefore less likely to develop diabetes.
© Shutterstock
6 / 31 Fotos
Children vs. adults
- Studies show that children have a higher percentage of brown fat in their bodies than adults. That is to say, we unfortunately lose it with age.
© Shutterstock
7 / 31 Fotos
Regulation of body temperature
- It is important that children have these higher levels of brown fat, because it helps them regulate their body temperature.
© Shutterstock
8 / 31 Fotos
Increasing brown fat levels
- While our levels of brown fat decrease as we get older, there are things we can do to bring them back up. Exposing ourselves to cold temperatures, for example, has been shown to help.
© Shutterstock
9 / 31 Fotos
Research
- In a recent study, adults who slept in a mildly cold room (around 19°C) were able to increase the amount and activity of their brown fat by up to 40%.
© Shutterstock
10 / 31 Fotos
Ursolic acid
- Foods that contain high levels of ursolic acid have also been shown to increase the amount and activity of brown fat.
© Shutterstock
11 / 31 Fotos
Foods high in ursolic acid
- The main food that has high levels of ursolic acid is apples. Other options include cranberries, blueberries, plums, and prunes.
© Shutterstock
12 / 31 Fotos
The downside to brown fat
- Brown fat does have its disadvantages, of course. In particular, the heat it generates makes it difficult for scanners to detect tumor-related activity in cancer patients.
© Shutterstock
13 / 31 Fotos
Brown fat and radiology
- For this reason, radiologists often suggest that patients consume a diet that reduces brown fat activation before scans.
© Shutterstock
14 / 31 Fotos
Brown fat and radiology
- Radiologists have even been known to keep their waiting rooms warm to avoid activating their patients’ brown fat.
© Shutterstock
15 / 31 Fotos
The advantages of white fat
- In just the same way that brown fat isn’t all good, white fat isn’t all bad. While we tend to demonize white fat, it does have a number of health benefits.
© Shutterstock
16 / 31 Fotos
Health benefits
- For starters, it cushions and protects our vital organs. It also helps keep us warm and stores calories for later use, in case food becomes scarce.
© Shutterstock
17 / 31 Fotos
Brown fat
- White fat can sometimes turn into brown fat, in which case it is referred to as ‘beige’ or ‘brite’ (‘brown and white’) fat.
© Shutterstock
18 / 31 Fotos
Brown fat and obesity
- Just like brown fat, beige fat is able to burn calories and can therefore be used to combat obesity.
© Shutterstock
19 / 31 Fotos
Current research
- Scientists are currently trying to work out why this conversion happens. The suggestion is that it has to do with a hormone called irisin, which is produced when we exercise.
© Shutterstock
20 / 31 Fotos
Getting rid of fat
- When it comes to getting rid of fat, exercise is the most obvious option. However, fat is sensitive to heat, which means there are other options.
© Shutterstock
21 / 31 Fotos
Cooling treatments
- Cooling treatments such as CoolSculpting work by literally freezing the fat to death. The body removes the dead fat cells gradually over the course of several months.
© Shutterstock
22 / 31 Fotos
Heat treatments
- Heat treatments can also be used to eliminate fat cells. Studies have shown that heating them to above 40°C over a sustained period of time kills them off.
© Shutterstock
23 / 31 Fotos
Popular choice
- This is the technique used in popular laser and radio-frequency lipolysis weight-loss treatments.
© Shutterstock
24 / 31 Fotos
The caveat
- People undergoing these treatments should be aware that they are not necessarily a permanent solution; the fat cells can always come back.
© Shutterstock
25 / 31 Fotos
The reality
- Remaining fat cells can also expand after heating or cooling treatments, so these should never be a substitute for a healthy diet and exercise.
© Shutterstock
26 / 31 Fotos
Storing body fat
- It is not only the color of the fat that determines how beneficial or harmful it might be. Where the fat is stored is also significant.
© Shutterstock
27 / 31 Fotos
Storing body fat
- For instance, excess fat stored in the abdomen or around inner organs such as the liver is particularly harmful: it can cause the release of inflammatory chemicals that increase the risk of certain diseases.
© Shutterstock
28 / 31 Fotos
Body fat and the brain
- And finally, fat has also been linked to brain health. According to one neurological study, people with a higher BMI had less gray matter in the brain than their leaner counterparts.
© Shutterstock
29 / 31 Fotos
Body fat and the brain
- This should be treated with caution, however, since scientists do not know whether the reduced gray matter is a cause or effect of having a higher BMI. Sources: (Reader's Digest) See also: What happens to your body when you drink wine every night?
© Shutterstock
30 / 31 Fotos
Body fat is not the villain we think it is
- It is important to understand the differences between different types of fats and what is their function in the body.
© Shutterstock
0 / 31 Fotos
Bad reputation
- Indeed, fat has a horrible reputation. We are taught to limit our intake of fatty foods and to keep our body fat percentage to a minimum.
© Shutterstock
1 / 31 Fotos
The full picture
- While it is true that being overweight is generally bad for our health, the actual truth about body fat is a little more nuanced. Let’s take a look at some little-known facts.
© Shutterstock
2 / 31 Fotos
Two types of fat
- We tend to assume that there is only one type of body fat, but in fact there are two major kinds: white fat and brown fat.
© Shutterstock
3 / 31 Fotos
Two types of fat
- White fat is the more common kind and stores energy away. Brown fat, by contrast, actually works to burn the energy we consume.
© Shutterstock
4 / 31 Fotos
The benefits of brown fat
- Aside from burning energy, brown fat serves a number of other important purposes in the body. It may help to ward off diabetes, for example.
© Shutterstock
5 / 31 Fotos
The benefits of brown fat
- According to one study, individuals with higher levels of brown fat in their bodies had smaller fluctuations in blood sugar and were therefore less likely to develop diabetes.
© Shutterstock
6 / 31 Fotos
Children vs. adults
- Studies show that children have a higher percentage of brown fat in their bodies than adults. That is to say, we unfortunately lose it with age.
© Shutterstock
7 / 31 Fotos
Regulation of body temperature
- It is important that children have these higher levels of brown fat, because it helps them regulate their body temperature.
© Shutterstock
8 / 31 Fotos
Increasing brown fat levels
- While our levels of brown fat decrease as we get older, there are things we can do to bring them back up. Exposing ourselves to cold temperatures, for example, has been shown to help.
© Shutterstock
9 / 31 Fotos
Research
- In a recent study, adults who slept in a mildly cold room (around 19°C) were able to increase the amount and activity of their brown fat by up to 40%.
© Shutterstock
10 / 31 Fotos
Ursolic acid
- Foods that contain high levels of ursolic acid have also been shown to increase the amount and activity of brown fat.
© Shutterstock
11 / 31 Fotos
Foods high in ursolic acid
- The main food that has high levels of ursolic acid is apples. Other options include cranberries, blueberries, plums, and prunes.
© Shutterstock
12 / 31 Fotos
The downside to brown fat
- Brown fat does have its disadvantages, of course. In particular, the heat it generates makes it difficult for scanners to detect tumor-related activity in cancer patients.
© Shutterstock
13 / 31 Fotos
Brown fat and radiology
- For this reason, radiologists often suggest that patients consume a diet that reduces brown fat activation before scans.
© Shutterstock
14 / 31 Fotos
Brown fat and radiology
- Radiologists have even been known to keep their waiting rooms warm to avoid activating their patients’ brown fat.
© Shutterstock
15 / 31 Fotos
The advantages of white fat
- In just the same way that brown fat isn’t all good, white fat isn’t all bad. While we tend to demonize white fat, it does have a number of health benefits.
© Shutterstock
16 / 31 Fotos
Health benefits
- For starters, it cushions and protects our vital organs. It also helps keep us warm and stores calories for later use, in case food becomes scarce.
© Shutterstock
17 / 31 Fotos
Brown fat
- White fat can sometimes turn into brown fat, in which case it is referred to as ‘beige’ or ‘brite’ (‘brown and white’) fat.
© Shutterstock
18 / 31 Fotos
Brown fat and obesity
- Just like brown fat, beige fat is able to burn calories and can therefore be used to combat obesity.
© Shutterstock
19 / 31 Fotos
Current research
- Scientists are currently trying to work out why this conversion happens. The suggestion is that it has to do with a hormone called irisin, which is produced when we exercise.
© Shutterstock
20 / 31 Fotos
Getting rid of fat
- When it comes to getting rid of fat, exercise is the most obvious option. However, fat is sensitive to heat, which means there are other options.
© Shutterstock
21 / 31 Fotos
Cooling treatments
- Cooling treatments such as CoolSculpting work by literally freezing the fat to death. The body removes the dead fat cells gradually over the course of several months.
© Shutterstock
22 / 31 Fotos
Heat treatments
- Heat treatments can also be used to eliminate fat cells. Studies have shown that heating them to above 40°C over a sustained period of time kills them off.
© Shutterstock
23 / 31 Fotos
Popular choice
- This is the technique used in popular laser and radio-frequency lipolysis weight-loss treatments.
© Shutterstock
24 / 31 Fotos
The caveat
- People undergoing these treatments should be aware that they are not necessarily a permanent solution; the fat cells can always come back.
© Shutterstock
25 / 31 Fotos
The reality
- Remaining fat cells can also expand after heating or cooling treatments, so these should never be a substitute for a healthy diet and exercise.
© Shutterstock
26 / 31 Fotos
Storing body fat
- It is not only the color of the fat that determines how beneficial or harmful it might be. Where the fat is stored is also significant.
© Shutterstock
27 / 31 Fotos
Storing body fat
- For instance, excess fat stored in the abdomen or around inner organs such as the liver is particularly harmful: it can cause the release of inflammatory chemicals that increase the risk of certain diseases.
© Shutterstock
28 / 31 Fotos
Body fat and the brain
- And finally, fat has also been linked to brain health. According to one neurological study, people with a higher BMI had less gray matter in the brain than their leaner counterparts.
© Shutterstock
29 / 31 Fotos
Body fat and the brain
- This should be treated with caution, however, since scientists do not know whether the reduced gray matter is a cause or effect of having a higher BMI. Sources: (Reader's Digest) See also: What happens to your body when you drink wine every night?
© Shutterstock
30 / 31 Fotos
Body fat is not the villain we think it is
Separating fact from fiction
© Shutterstock
When it comes to body fat percentage, the general perception is "the lower, the better." We tend to think of fat as the enemy and fatty foods as something to be avoided at all costs. In reality, however, it's not quite so simple. The function of body fat is about as complicated as our relationship with it.
Curious? Check out this gallery to learn more about body fat.
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