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Holy Chrysler! Didja read the news about the Fit Fat? 'Fat' proven as a good kind of compliment!

[Brown] Fat Could Help You Lose Weight, Someday [NPR 04.09.09]

We've all been taught that too much fat is bad. But the problem with fat isn't so black and white. In fact, it's brown & white.

White fat — considered the "bad" kind — is a way for your body to store excess energy that accumulates when you consume more calories than you use. White fat comes in handy when you're short on food and your body goes searching for extra energy. But brown fat — the "good" kind — actually burns excess energy to generate heat.

Brown fat generates extra heat to help babies maintain their core temperature. Researchers are ... hoping to do is to find a way to rev up the body's "good" fat to help it burn off the "bad."

How Does It Work?

Brown fat is activated by temperature changes in the environment. ... Instead of breaking down nutrients into energy that the brown fat cell can use, the mitochondria leak out most of the energy in the form of heat.

Small capillaries surrounding the cells then transport the heat energy throughout the baby's body, helping to maintain his core temperature.

Why Is It Brown?

Again, the mitochondria are a defining feature. Brown fat cells are packed with mitochondria, making the cells more opaque. The blood-carrying capillaries that surround the cells also help give brown fat its distinctive color.