You might not look forward to the arrival of winter, but did you know that you can actually use the cold weather to your advantage when it comes to weight loss? Believe it or not, exposing yourself to cold temperatures can help change the type of fat in your body, making you burn more calories and ultimately, lose those extra pounds.
From White Fat to Beige Fat
Let me explain: Exposing yourself to cold temperatures can transform white adipose tissue — which usually accumulates in undesirable areas like your thighs and belly — into beige fat. This more beneficial beige fat burns off calories to produce body heat.
Beige fat is a kind of hybrid fat, displaying characteristics of both brown fat and white fat. Brown fat, also known as brown adipose tissue (BAT), is a specialized kind of fat that burns energy and sugar to help warm the body. Babies, bears, and other hibernating animals rely on their brown fat to stay warm.
White fat, on the other hand, doesn’t normally burn calories to produce heat for the body. However, when you’re exposed to chilly temperatures, white fat can adopt some of the traits of brown fat and transform into beige fat.
According to researcher Philip A. Kern, “Browning fat tissue would be an excellent defense against obesity. It would result in the body burning extra calories rather than converting them into additional fat tissue.”
Cold Weather and Beige Fat
One compelling study observed individuals’ fat tissues during winter and summer months. The research showed that in the winter months, belly and thigh fat displayed genetic markers indicating that it was functioning as beige fat. Comparatively, during summer months, the fat tissues displayed lower levels of these genetic markers.
This transformation of white fat to beige may be hindered by excess inflammation caused by large amounts of fat tissue when a person is overweight. As Kern explains, “Our findings indicate inflammation can hinder the conversion of white to beige fat.” In laboratory tests, when white fat was exposed to macrophage cells from the immune system, the transformation process was inhibited.
Combating Inflammation
To optimize the conversion of white fat to beige fat, it’s important to pair turning down your thermostat during the winter months with consuming anti-inflammatory nutrients. Try incorporating more vitamin C-rich foods into your diet, as well as taking krill oil, a highly absorbable source of omega-3 oils.
Winter can be a challenge to endure, but this season, embrace the cold and give your body a chance to transform white fat into calorie-burning beige fat. Turn the heat down a bit and ensure you’re getting a good intake of anti-inflammatory nutrients to encourage the fat conversion process. Then, kick back and let your body become a calorie-burning machine!
