When it comes to body fat percentage, the general perception is “the lower, the better.” We tend to think of fat as the enemy and fatty foods as something to be avoided at all costs. In reality, however, it’s not quite so simple. The function of body fat is about as complicated as our relationship with it.
Curious? Check out this gallery to learn more about body fat.
Indeed, fat has a horrible reputation. We are taught to limit our intake of fatty foods and to keep our body fat percentage to a minimum.
While it is true that being overweight is generally bad for our health, the actual truth about body fat is a little more nuanced. Let’s take a look at some little-known facts.
We tend to assume that there is only one type of body fat, but in fact there are two major kinds: white fat and brown fat. White fat is the more common kind and stores energy away. Brown fat, by contrast, actually works to burn the energy we consume.
Aside from burning energy, brown fat serves a number of other important purposes in the body. It may help to ward off diabetes, for example. According to one study, individuals with higher levels of brown fat in their bodies had smaller fluctuations in blood sugar and were therefore less likely to develop diabetes.
Studies show that children have a higher percentage of brown fat in their bodies than adults. That is to say, we unfortunately lose it with age.
It is important that children have these higher levels of brown fat, because it helps them regulate their body temperature.
While our levels of brown fat decrease as we get older, there are things we can do to bring them back up. Exposing ourselves to cold temperatures, for example, has been shown to help.
In a recent study, adults who slept in a mildly cold room (around 19°C) were able to increase the amount and activity of their brown fat by up to 40%.
Foods that contain high levels of ursolic acid have also been shown to increase the amount and activity of brown fat.
The main food that has high levels of ursolic acid is apples. Other options include cranberries, blueberries, plums, and prunes.
Brown fat does have its disadvantages, of course. In particular, the heat it generates makes it difficult for scanners to detect tumor-related activity in cancer patients.
For this reason, radiologists often suggest that patients consume a diet that reduces brown fat activation before scans. Radiologists have even been known to keep their waiting rooms warm to avoid activating their patients’ brown fat.
In just the same way that brown fat isn’t all good, white fat isn’t all bad. While we tend to demonize white fat, it does have a number of health benefits.
For starters, it cushions and protects our vital organs. It also helps keep us warm and stores calories for later use, in case food becomes scarce.
White fat can sometimes turn into brown fat, in which case it is referred to as ‘beige’ or ‘brite’ (‘brown and white’) fat.
Just like brown fat, beige fat is able to burn calories and can therefore be used to combat obesity.
Scientists are currently trying to work out why this conversion happens. The suggestion is that it has to do with a hormone called irisin, which is produced when we exercise.
When it comes to getting rid of fat, exercise is the most obvious option. However, fat is sensitive to heat, which means there are other options
Cooling treatments such as CoolSculpting work by literally freezing the fat to death. The body removes the dead fat cells gradually over the course of several months.
Heat treatments can also be used to eliminate fat cells. Studies have shown that heating them to above 40°C over a sustained period of time kills them off.
This is the technique used in popular laser and radio-frequency lipolysis weight-loss treatments.
People undergoing these treatments should be aware that they are not necessarily a permanent solution; the fat cells can always come back.
Remaining fat cells can also expand after heating or cooling treatments, so these should never be a substitute for a healthy diet and exercise.
It is not only the color of the fat that determines how beneficial or harmful it might be. Where the fat is stored is also significant. For instance, excess fat stored in the abdomen or around inner organs such as the liver is particularly harmful: it can cause the release of inflammatory chemicals that increase the risk of certain diseases.
And finally, fat has also been linked to brain health. According to one neurological study, people with a higher BMI had less gray matter in the brain than their leaner counterparts. This should be treated with caution, however, since scientists do not know whether the reduced gray matter is a cause or effect of having a higher BMI.
