Shining the Light on Brown Fat
British Study Says Obesity May Be Influenced By Daylight
According to the latest study on brown fat, daylight plays a significant role in brown fat production and regulation.
The last time brown fat was news, I predicted it’d be back in the health headlines when the sleigh bells were a jingling, ring-ting-a-tingling.
Consider it an early Christmas gift.
Back in April, the last time I talked about brown fat, a study was published in the American Journal of Medicine that cleared up some formerly long held beliefs about how much brown fat the average adult has. Prior to the study, it was largely held that brown fat deposits dissipate as we age (brown fat deposits have more capillaries than white fat, thus are able to burn calories more quickly and more efficiently than white fat deposits). The study didn’t negate that finding, but did find that brown fat deposits were in greater supply in the average adult than once thought.
And that’s a good thing.
But as I said at the time, it doesn’t mean a whole heck of a lot if there’s no real way to increase brown fat deposits. And outside of pill-popping (and no pill has been developed to increase brown fat, just in case you’re wondering), the next best bet is to move to a consistently cold climate (researchers found that exposing people to freezing cold temperatures activated brown fat deposits).
But before you board the next plane bound for Juneau, Alaska, consistently cold climates are often dark (or nearly dark) 24 hours a day. And darkness is the antithesis of brown fat boosting.
That’s right. According to the latest study on brown fat, daylight plays a significant role in brown fat production and regulation.
Researchers came to this conclusion after analyzing the fat deposits of over 3,000 men and women over several months. According to Michael Symonds, the study’s lead author and professor from the University of Nottingham’s School of Clinical Sciences, the amount of brown fat in a person’s body was “significantly correlated” to the amount of daylight they were exposed to.
For example, in the winter, a time in which there is less daylight, brown fat deposits were lower and less active. But as each day passed – and with each day an extra minute of sunlight (up until the summer solstice) – brown fat deposits became more active.
In a statement released by the University of Nottingham, Symonds said this finding could “potentially lead to new treatments for the prevention or reversal of obesity.”
The study is published in the journal Diabetes.
The study didn’t nix the idea of moving to Alaska altogether, as it confirmed that cold temperatures do, indeed, stimulate brown fat deposits. However, daylight seems to play a more significant role in brown fat stimulation.
This finding offers additional reasons why people tend to gain weight in the winter months. Not only do people move less and eat more (lest we forget the two big eating holidays: Thanksgiving and Christmas), but their exposure to daylight is diminished.
Hopefully, this finding will “shine a new light” on how we can naturally combat obesity. And that new way may be found in the sun’s rays.
Source:
sciencedaily.com
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- Fat: A Brown and White Issue: Efficiency of Calorie Burning Depends on It’s Color
- ‘Brown’ Back in Town
- Kids See the Light: Outdoor-Dwelling Kids Have Better Eyesight, Study Finds
 
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Posted: August 30th, 2009 under Obesity.
Tags: brown fat, brown fat and obesity, brown fat in humans, daylight, fat deposits
