You may be surprised to learn that the fat in your body is made up of different colors. Scientists have identified both white and brown fat. The brown color is also sometimes referred to as inducible brown adipose tissue (BAT). (a)

Scientists argue that obesity is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, and there has been considerable recent interest in studying the physiology of Brown adipose tissue (BAT) in humans, given their protective role against obesity.

According to them, an understanding of BAT physiology is likely to be important if BAT recruitment is to be considered as a strategy for weight loss in obese individuals. (b)

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) was first reported in the 1950s. In humans, thermogenic BAT used to be thought to only exist in babies and disappear in adults.

In 2009, three independent groups first detected thermogenic adipose tissue in human adults. Since then, BAT studies have been blooming over the last years. Because BAT can burn a significant amount of energy, enhancing thermogenesis in BAT has been proposed as a promising strategy to treat adult obesity in modern society. (c)

In a study published in Nature Medicine, it was identified that beneficial effects of BAT were more pronounced in overweight or obese individuals, indicating that BAT may play a role in mitigating the deleterious effects of obesity. Taken together, the findings highlight a potential role for BAT in promoting cardiometabolic health. (d)