Visceral Fat vs Brown Fat

Hey everyone. This will be a health post about the difference between visceral fat and brown fat. Not all fats are created equal and we are about to find out why. So lets get to it.

Visceral fat is nestled deep within your belly, where it pads the spaces around your abdominal organs. This is not the kind of fat that you can grab or feel. It is known as the toxic fat or the unhealthy fat. One of the reasons is that it secretes inflammatory proteins called cytokines that affect insulin production and increase inflammation throughout the body. This could lead to a raise in the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It is very difficult to measure visceral fat unless you undergo an MRI or CT scan.

Too much visceral fat can also lead to low HDL (good) cholesterol and elevated blood glucose and triglyceride levels. To help lower visceral fat levels, a balanced diet is key. Eat lean protein throughout the day while controlling carb and sugar intake. Cardio exercise also helps with visceral fat. High intensity interval training, in which you get your heart rate beating fast, can truly help to beat visceral fat.

On the other spectrum is the good fat, which is also known as Brown fat. This is the type of fat that is used to generate heat when we are cold. This allows the body to burn more calories. Introducing your body to cold temperatures helps get your brown fat going. If you spend 10 to 15 minutes in temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, your body will start to produce a hormone called irisin, which appears to make white fat cells act like brown fat cells. This give your body a boost similar to an hour of moderate exercise at warmer temperatures.

You can also try keeping your thermostat cooler in your house. In an Australian study, it showed that men who lived in homes set to 66 degrees generated 40 percent more brown fat than when set to higher temperatures. A good way to check if your carrying the right amount of fat in your body is to do a body-fat percentage test. Women should be in the 20-25% range and up to 30% after the age of 50. These percentages are lower for men.

Well that is all for now. I hope you learned something new today. Remember that all fat is not created equal. This is also true when it comes to our food. Make sure to eat plenty of healthy fat foods like avocados, salmon, extra virgin olive oil, and dark chocolate. We need healthy fats for a healthy body and brain. Thanks for reading and I will see you again soon.