Body fat comprises fat cells or adipose tissue and is not a benign energy storage bank that irritates us when we look in the mirror. It is an endocrine gland.

This added tissue houses miles of blood vessels, making our hearts work harder and contributing to blood pressure issues.

Fat tissue sequesters toxins from our body and stores them in fat cells. This is partly why you can feel shaky, nauseous, anxious, or have energy swings when you skip meals. It is actually a detox reaction, not low blood sugar symptoms. 

We call it toxic hunger.

Fat cells are also involved in insulin production and can contribute to insulin resistance. 

They produce one-third of our body’s cortisol and are sensitive to estrogen and testosterone.

Most body fat is made up of white adipose tissue. 

Small pockets of Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) in a few distinct parts of your body (about a tablespoon worth or a little more ideally) are very temperature-sensitive and help regulate your body’s thermostat. 

Since raising and lowering body temperature takes a lot of energy and hormones, BAT can be a major endocrine player and alter your metabolism.

Here is the secret: a small amount of BAT cells are also mixed into your white adipose (body fat) tissue. 

A constant exposure to insulin will make those BAT cells shrink to almost undetectable levels. 

When our body temperature stays constant all day and especially all night, constantly warm, the BAT in those small distinct deposits shrinks, and the BAT (in the white tissue) in the presence of insulin shrinks even more and ceases to be metabolically active.

This is a potential BIG DEAL. I have written about how heat acclimation, raising the body temp then back down multiple times, can stimulate Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which helps keep insulin low, burn white body fat, build muscle, and keep us youthful-looking and feeling.

Now, we also know that sleeping in a cooler room, 66 degrees Fahrenheit, and exposing the skin to colder temperatures throughout the day will bring back our BAT (when insulin is low) both physically and metabolically. 

This means it can help with hormonal action and has been shown to burn 250 extra calories per hour during heat acclimation.

If you desire to lose weight or keep your metabolism top-notch, efforts to ensure your body fat works for you might just add the momentum you have been looking for.

1. Cut back insulin insulin-producing foods

2. Sleep in a cool room

3. Raise that core temp up and down

4. Get quality sleep

Give it a try, and let me know how it goes!

We can do better!

Dr. Don