Looking to slim down? Then beige is your color, at least as far as fat is concerned.
Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have isolated a new type of energy-burning cell known as “beige fat,” which they say may have therapeutic potential for aiding weight loss and treating obesity in adults.According to a new report published in the journal Cell, beige fat is scattered in pea-size deposits beneath the skin near the collarbone and along the spine. But rather than storing excess calories in the form of jiggly thighs and a jelly belly as blubbery-and-prolific white fat does, this type of fat is a calorie burner.
Sweating and Freezing
“During exercise, muscles release the hormone irisin, which then converts ordinary white fat cells into beige ones – and those beige cells burn up extra calories,” explains Bruce Spiegelman, the senior author of the paper.
Its long been known that the calories burned during exercise exceed the number used during the actual activity. Beige fat could be responsible for torching these extra calories. However, because the muscles also release irisin when the body is cold, Spiegelman speculates that the beige fat mechanism might have evolved as a response to shivering, which, like exercise, is a neuromuscular activity.
Spiegelman doesnt necessarily believe the conversion of cells to beige is permanent. “Its an adaptive process,” he says. “They probably increase or decrease depending on physiological conditions such as age, sex and obesity.”
This could be why more brown fat and perhaps more beige fat is present in people who are fit and physically active versus those who are slothful couch potatoes. An attractive hypothesis to be sure, but Spiegelman cautions theres not yet enough evidence to prove it.