It was January of 1994 and my wife and I had just welcomed our first son, Nicholas into the world. We were living in St. Louis, MO while I completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine in the Section of Applied Physiology. I was a full-time researcher studying lifestyle interventions of exercise and nutrition to prevent obesity and promote optimal health.
One of my favorite sanctuaries was being tucked away in the periodical (science journal) stacks in the basement of the medical school library. It was there I came across a fascinating study describing a medical breakthrough showing newborn rats exposed to cold temperatures were able to grow greater amounts of fat that generates heat and burns calories.1 This was super-cool news because newborn infants have the same fat! It’s called brown adipose tissue, otherwise known as BAT or brown fat, and is mainly located around the neck and shoulder blades. BAT differs from white fat in that white fat is our stored body fat and is most associated with obesity and disease, especially when centrally located around our vital organs.
This finding meant infants may also produce new BAT if exposed to colder temperatures and burn a greater number of calories, which may help prevent obesity and other related diseases and promote healthy lean body mass.
Naturally, being a scientist, I wanted to conduct my own experiment on my newborn son. My biggest obstacle, of course, was convincing my wife to turn down the heat in our apartment to the low 60’s … and then, the kicker… allowing our little Nicholas to go ‘sans’ clothes with only his onesie and diaper.
I think it goes without saying that she wasn’t buying any of my “cold theory” for BAT growth, which meant I had to conduct my experiment covertly. So, whenever she left the apartment I would turn the thermostat down a few degrees and remove Nicholas’ clothes. My n=1 case study was going along pretty smoothly until one afternoon when the two of us fell asleep on the couch together and my wife came home to a onesie-only baby in a cold apartment in the middle of winter.
Fast forward 21 years: Nicholas is lean and scientists are still proving the health benefits of BAT. The latest research shows BAT burns calories from both fat molecules called triglycerides that contribute to heart disease and sugar molecules called glucose that contribute to type 2 diabetes.
And, don’t lose hope if you weren’t exposed to cooler temps as a baby like our Nicholas. Recent studies show that adults are capable of supercharging growth of new BAT by brief exposure (~2 hours) to cooler temperatures (~63 degrees) that burns an extra 250-300 calories a day! An added bonus is the additional savings on your heating bill!
Reality check: My wife always reminds me to be practical with my health and wellness recommendations. So, I understand if you are not a fan of walking around with shorts and a t-shirt in low 60 degree temps for a couple hours each day, although this is the most effective method to grow new BAT. Ongoing research demonstrates exercise is one of the most effective strategies to activate hormones to help white fat act more like brown fat and burn more calories.
With many of us committed to a new years’ resolution to get more fit and healthy, exercise is a common choice. If cold exposure to increase BAT is not your thing, then here are my “quick tips” for healthy exercise this year:
- Perform 4 days of structured exercise per week using my RISE protocol (see RISE blogs). On the other 3 days remain physically active by walking (7-10,000 steps).
- Choose fitness centers that offer a range of exercise and physical activity options that include the RISE protocol, such as functional resistance exercise; variety of equipment to perform anaerobic high intensity sprints; yoga/tai chi/pilates/qi gong; and aerobic-based exercises such as cycling, running, rowing, swimming.
- Get outside in nature as often as possible to move as this is the best for your mood and health.
- Do your exercise first thing in the morning so you have NO excuse as the day progresses.
Going to BAT for a couple of hours each day in cooler temps is a great strategy to stay lean but exercise still remains the top choice for most people.
