Cold weather BURNS fat?

I have to confess…

I hate winter.

I hate that sunshine is sparse. And I hate that temperatures are frigid.

And if you’re a fellow sun-seeker or beach lover, perhaps you can relate.

But—let’s not focus on those chilling thoughts. Because not everything about this time of year is bad. In fact, winter offers some healing potential, too.

In fact, alongside those colder temps comes a unique opportunity to BURN more fat…

White fat, white fat, go away

Brown fat is packed with mitochondria. Mitochondria are the parts of the cell that turn nutrients into energy, and they’re rich in iron (which makes the fat look brown).

This makes brown fat uniquely able to generate energy through a process called thermogenesis—which burns calories and creates heat—instead of storing energy like normal white fat.

In fact, even though brown fat makes up a tiny fraction of the fat in our bodies, it has the potential to annihilate white fat, essentially causing it to melt away. But that only happens when brown fat is “activated.”

What’s one thing that activates brown fat?

Cold temperatures. But—that activation doesn’t happen without a little help from vitamin A.

A team of scientists discovered that, while most vitamin A is stored in the liver, cold temperatures direct this nutrient toward fat stores. Once there, vitamin A is able to “brown” white adipose tissue and increase the rate of fat burning.

Plus, when the team introduced vitamin A to human white fat cells, it triggered those telltale brown fat traits—including increased metabolic activity and calorie burning.

Vitamin A works wonders

The study authors of course mentioned that their findings are not an argument for consuming large amounts of vitamin A supplements.

But in response, allow me to point out something this report didn’t address…

Back in 2015, researchers analyzed both the body mass index (BMI) and nutrient intake of more than 18,000 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. And they found that the higher a person’s BMI, the more likely they were to suffer from nutrient deficiencies.

In fact, over 40 percent of the participants didn’t get enough calcium, magnesium, vitamins C, D, E, or—you guessed it—vitamin A from their diets.

So you know what? I’d say a supplement isn’t such a bad idea. And not just because it plays a role in activating brown fat stores…

This fat-soluble vitamin is essential for healthy eyes, too—helping protect against macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts. It also keeps your immune system strong so you can fight off infections.

Plus, vitamin A is known as the anti-aging vitamin because it makes your skin supple and reduces wrinkles.

So, I recommend taking 2,000 IU of vitamin A acetate daily. And perhaps you take some of your daily exercise outdoors in the cooler temps (safely, of course).

Until next week,
Dr. Fred

P.S. To learn more about how to harness the fat-burning power of brown fat, check out the August 2016 issue of my monthly newsletter, Logical Health Alternatives (“Transform your body and beat metabolic syndrome with brown fat”). Subscribers have access to my entire archives—so as always, if you haven’t yet, consider signing up today.

Source:

“Vitamin A boosts fat burning in cold conditions: The conversion of white into brown adipose tissue is a promising target for obesity treatment.” Science Daily, 10/21/2020. (sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201021112318.htm)