Brown Fat Lowers Risk of Obesity and Type-2 Diabetes: Study

High level of brown fat in the body shields against the risk of obesity and diabetes, finds a study.

Past researches have confirmed fat accumulation in the body hikes up the chances of developing hypertension, high blood sugar levels, coronary heart diseases and diabetes. Experts at the University of Texas' Medical Branch in Galveston discovered that the presence of brown fat in the body keeps obesity and diabetes at bay by boosting insulin sensitivity and achieving ideal blood sugar levels and fat-burning metabolism.

The researchers studied a group of healthy male participants having either high or moderate amount of brown body fat. The subjects' resting energy expenditure, amount of blood sugar usage and insulin sensitivity, were noted down before exposing them to normal cold temperatures for nearly five to eight hours. The participants' breath and blood sample were collected to record changes in hormone, blood sugar and insulin levels along with overall oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide released from the body.

The study also compared brown and white fat tissue samples to observe variations in the energy produced by cells and genetic expressions. Their findings revealed that when exposed to cold temperatures, the brown fat increases total energy metabolism and burns more calories.

"This is good news for overweight and obese people. This is great news for people with insulin resistance and diabetes, and suggests that brown fat may prove to be an important anti-diabetic tissue," said Labros Sidossis, study author and professor of internal medicine in the division of geriatric medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, reports the Health Day News.

A previous clinical data suggests brown fat helps maintain body temperature during cold seasons. Hibernating mammals have abundant quantities of brown adipose tissue or brown fat to generate body heat in extreme cold conditions.  

"We showed that exposure to mild cold raised whole body energy expenditure, increased glucose removal from the circulation and improved insulin sensitivity in men who have significant amounts of brown fat. These results support the notion that brown fat may function as an anti-obesity and anti-diabetic tissue in humans," added Sidossis, reports the CBC News.

However, the study could not determine a cause-and-effect relation between low brown fat content and vulnerability for obesity and diabetes.

More information is available online in the journal Diabetes.