Person on Scale

High levels of brown adipose tissue (BAT) may help to protect against obesity according to medical researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston. The NEJM recently published a series of research articles that detected and measured the amount of brown fat tissue in the adult body. Long thought to have a role in whole body metabolism, it provides resting and “inducible energy expenditure in the form of thermogenesis“.

Active in infants, children and rodents, brown fat cells were previously thought to be non-existent in adults. However using PET-CT scans, medical scientists were able to identify likely deposits of BAT around the neck region.

Brown adipose tissue occurs more frequently in women and is inversely proportional to body mass index. Why women are likely to have this more than men and what the mechanism of action is in its role in  metabolism will hopefully help us gain better control over the epidemic of obesity/overweight in this country.