For real? That sounds real oxymoronic, if anything else, but researchers have pinpointed a kind of fat that just might be the key to battling obesity. The new buzzword these days is “brown fat,” and no, it is not a racist thing.
Brown fat is actually the informal term used to refer to brown adipose tissue. This type of fat is what babies, young children, and other young mammals use to keep warm. It works by burning calories in order to release heat, and the action is triggered by low temperatures. Now you can see how brown fat can be used to burn off those extra calories, can’t you?
The question is whether or not adults have brown fat, and the good news is YES, we do. In fact, the recent research points to this – adults have brown fat, which is used in temperature regulation. At the same time, this type of fat could also be playing a role in determining whether a person is lean or on the pudgy side.
The not-so-good news is that not all adults have brown fat. Even worse, it seems that those who are already overweight tend to have no brown fat stored in their bodies. On the other hand, people who are leaner and younger tend to have brown fat stored.
Given that, how can brown fat be used to combat weight problems? This is what researchers are working on right now. In the meantime, we are still urged to eat right and get a healthy amount of exercise.
Photo courtesy of http://www.trudicanavan.com/
译文:
脂肪能使你变瘦
这是真的吗？听起来真是矛盾，但是不管怎么说，研究人员已经准确找到了一种脂肪，这种脂肪可能是与肥胖做斗争的关键。如今，新的时髦词语是“棕色脂肪”，不过，这不是种族主义的事。
棕色脂肪实际上是棕色的脂肪组织的非正式说法。这种脂肪是婴儿、小孩及其他幼小的哺乳动物用以保持体温的东西。它是通过燃烧卡路里释放热量来达到效果的，并且这种功能会在低温环境下发生。现在你可以理解怎样利用棕色脂肪来燃烧那些多余的卡路里了吧？
问题是成年人是否具有这种棕色脂肪，是的，成年人也有，这是个好消息。其实，近来的研究也表明了这一点——成年人有棕色脂肪，用来调节体温。同时，这种脂肪在决定一个人的胖瘦方面也正在发挥着作用。
不太好的消息是，并不是所有的成年人都有棕色脂肪。更糟糕的是，看起来那些已经超重的人体内往往没有棕色脂肪。另一方面，较精瘦的人和年轻人体内常有棕色脂肪。
鉴于此，怎样利用棕色脂肪来与肥胖问题做斗争呢？这是研究人员目前正在研究的问题。同时，（专家）还鼓励我们要饮食适度，进行正常合理的体育锻炼。
图片由http://www.trudicanavan.com/提供