Photo by Andres Ayrton.

Did you know that you have three different colors of fat in your body? And that each has its own purpose and function, some with beneficial qualities, some potentially harmful? There is white fat, brown fat, and beige fat.

White fat

Large amounts of white fat are associated with many diseases.

The fat we think of most often when thinking of extra weight is known as white fat. Its relatively large cells are stored in the abdomen and on the arms, buttocks, and thighs. White fat cells store energy for later use. When too much white fat is stored, a person is considered overweight, and indeed, Americans lead the league in this kind of storage with 74% of us overweight, and 43% of those obese. Obesity is usually defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more. BMI is an imperfect tool used to measure the ratio of a person’s height to their overall mass. Somewhat debunked because it doesn’t take into account various features of an individual’s structure that skew the numbers, it is valid enough in helping calculate an extreme amount of extra white fat.

Large amounts of white fat are associated with many diseases such as diabetes, cancer, kidney and liver disease, pregnancy complications, high blood pressure and stroke, coronary artery disease, and hormone imbalances. Visceral fat is the white fat that’s stored in the abdomen, around the vital organs as well as the heart and is considered a risk factor for stroke, some cancers, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

Healthy amounts of white body fat range from 14-24 percent in men and 21-31 percent of total body weight in women. Rates of obesity are one of the major health concerns in the US today.

Brown fat

Research into how brown fat works is hoped to show ways to combat obesity.

Brown fat, once thought to only be present in babies, is now believed to be present in adults as well, in small deposits mostly around the neck and shoulders. Research into how brown fat works is hoped to show ways to combat obesity. Brown fat is responsible for thermogenisis, or the burning of fatty acids in order to create heat in the body when it is cold. A type of brown fat known as “recruitable” is believed to be found in muscle tissue as well as in white fat and can be used to convert white fat to brown fat, bringing about the burning of calories and ultimately weight loss.

Beige fat

Beige fat, also known as brite fat, is relatively new to being researched, but early studies show their function to be somewhere between white fat and brown fat, and there are indications that beige fat may help convert white fat to brown fat, potentially being useful in the control of obesity.

Converting white fat to brown

With obesity-related disease skyrocketing… this crisis deserves our full attention.

Increasing the amount of brown fat in the body is the focus of current research seeking solutions to the obesity problem. Exposing the body to temperatures of 66F or below just two hours a day has been shown to recruit brown fat from white, causing an uptick in calorie burn.

Exercise is also beneficial. People who engage in vigorous exercise on a regular basis produce more of a protein called irisin, shown in research to increase the conversion of white fat to brown. So far most research on the conversion of white fat to brown has been done on animals, but results are promising enough to steer scientists to pursue further studies on humans. While the goal may be some kind of quick fix for those seeking to achieve a healthy weight, it should be remembered that old-school methods of reducing excess weight are still the most reliable and side-effect-free.

Eat less and move more is of course more easily said than done, but with obesity-related disease skyrocketing and shortening the health lifespans of a majority of Americans, this crisis deserves our full attention. If turning the thermostat down or spending some time outside on cold crisp days helps change the color palette of your fat, it’s not a bad thing, but while waiting on the research, eat a diet rich in fiber and nutrients, including healthy fats, and low in highly processed foods and simple carbs that don’t satisfy you. A couple of hours a week of vigorous exercise or 3-4 hours of more moderate movement can tip the scales, quite literally, in the direction of a healthy weight.

Ann Constantino, submitted on behalf of the SoHum Health’s Outreach department.