Children with active brown fat tend to be leaner according to a recent study, indicating the ‘good’ fat may play a role in regulating metabolism. Read the full story

Fat may be the best weapon against – well, more fat, according to a new European study. Read the full story

Obesity drugs generally focus on boosting the body’s metabolism, but few would have suspected that fat can actually help the body burn more calories. A new study shows that “brown” fat can help fight obesity and type 2 diabetes, and these findings may lead to the development of drug-based treatments. Read the full story

Brown Fat Burns Calories

According to three recent studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine, brown fat – a kind of adipose tissue found in newborns – is metabolically active, burning off calories in response to low temperatures and keeping baby warm.

White adipose tissue –the regular fat that adults and older kids have – just sort of sits there, making our pants fit badly.

Brown fat’s color is created by the presence of extra mitochondria within the brown fat cells. Mitochondria are tiny onboard organelles that serve as cellular power packs.

Since each mitochondrion burns calories to power its cell, the more mitochondria, the more calories burned. And since mitochondria contain iron, brown fat has a rusty, red shade that goes with almost any décor.

While everyone has some brown fat, the study found that thinner people and the young have the most. And while brown fat burns more calories, it’s no substitute for eating healthy and being active.

Researchers admit the possibility of a brown fat-based therapy someday, but even large deposits of the stuff only burn off an extra 500 calories per day or so – the equivalent of an extra bottle of formula.