Calorie -Burning Brown FatDo We Still Have It?

Scientists recently discovered (to their utter surprise) that adults still have a certain amount of BROWN FAT in our bodies.These have intrigued scientists for ove 30 yearsas they act as a furnace,consuming calories and generating heat.

Rodents unable to shiver,effectivelyuse use brown fat to keep themselves warm.The same thing applies to infants who do not shiver very well.

It was believed that humans lose brown fat after infancy, no longer needing it once they learn to respond to shivering.

Three researechers have reported that the belief is wrong.Their papersappearing in the New England Journal Of Medicine indicates that almost every adult has some blobs of brown fat which can burn high amount of calories when activated by cold,as when sitting in a chilly roomthat is between 61 and 66 degrees According to the research,thinner people have more brown fat than heavier people ;younger people more than older ones.People with lower glucose levels, reflecting, higher metabolic rates,had more brown fat than those whose metabolism was sluggishand women had more of this kind of fat as compared to men.

It was also found that people taking high blood pressure medicines and other indications had less brown fat.

'The thing about brown fat is that it takes a very small amout to burn a lot of energy',said Dr. C.Ronald Kahn,Head Of Obesity and Harmone Action at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.