White Fat Versus Brown Fat (Versus Beige Fat) And Why You Should Care

White fat versus brown fat (versus beige fat) – just what are all these types of fat and how will your life significantly be altered by bothering to know the difference!?

Below I’ll explain the main differences between the 3 types of fat and what they do for your body, so you can understand the basics of the white fat versus brown fat discussion.

I’ll also go through the most effective brown and beige fat activators that you can add to your lifestyle and diet (*spoiler alert: you’ll want to increase them!*).

First, the basic concepts of fat

Before we get into the specifics of white fat versus brown fat, and each type of fat, let’s talk about body fat in general.

There are three major types of fat (or adipose tissue) in the body: white, brown and beige. They’re differentiated based on their location, their physiological traits and their function (more on that below).

But it’s important to know that, regardless of their color, all body fat is an essential regulator of metabolism and body homeostasis (balance). (*)
Fat tissue in general also holds immune cells of both the innate and the adaptive (learned) immune system response. These cells can act in a pro- or anti-inflammatory way, depending on the environmental conditions, or stimulation. (*)

People who are metabolically healthy will have a good balance of these pro- and anti-inflammatory reactions. As fat tissue grows (on the way to obesity) there’ll be a shift towards inflammation, putting you at risk for developing metabolic syndrome. (*)

White fat versus Brown fat (versus Beige fat) – DEFINITIONS

White fat / White Adipose Tissue / WAT

This is basically the fat people generally refer to when they talk about fat. It’s the insulating layer of fat droplets we have beneath our skin (subcutaneous) and around our belly (visceral).

It tends to grow very easily in response to caloric excess (eating more calories than we expend) and it’s our main storage of energy.

Excess of this type of fat, in particular of belly fat, is what’s linked to the development of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and cardiovascular diseases. (*)

This is the fat you want to keep in check!

Brown Fat / Brown Adipose Tissue / BAT

Now, brown fat is a very different type of fat that is found in all mammals but in infinitely smaller amounts.

It begins to form already in the womb and it is essential to the temperature regulation of newborn babies.

Babies are not born with the ability to shiver – we all have to develop it. Shivering is a skeletal-muscle reaction that enables us to raise our body temperature when exposed to cold. Brown fat helps us generate heat through a different process, called non-shivering thermogenesis.

Brown fat comprises about 5% of a newborn’s body weight, but that slowly drops throughout childhood and adolescence. (*) Only about half of teenagers have detectable amounts of brown fat and by the time we’re adults, brown fat makes up less than 1% of our body weight. (*)

Fun fact: active brown fat deposits are more frequently found in women than men, especially around the neck and above the collarbone. (*)

Beige fat / Brown-like-in-white Adipose Tissue / Brite

This type of fat was discovered more recently and it’s basically a mix of white and brown fat. Specifically, they’re brown-like fat cells that emerge from white fat deposits, in response to specific conditions.

It was originally discovered when studying rats exposed to cold temperatures. Since then, beige fat has been shown to be created also in response to things like exercise and certain plant bio-actives. (*)

The process by which white fat cells develop brown fat-like behavior, in response to certain stimulants and conditions, is called “WAT (White Adipose Tissue) browning”.

White fat versus Brown fat (versus Beige fat) – LOCATION

White fat is:

subcutaneous (beneath the skin)
intra-abdominal (in the belly)
epicardial (between the heart and the pericardium)
gonadal (around the ovaries and testis).

Brown fat is:

interscapular (between the shoulder blades)
paravertebral (along spinal cord)
perirenal (surrounding the kidney)
cervical (around the neck)
supraclavicular (above the collarbone)

Beige fat:

can basically emerge wherever white fat deposits exist
again, in response to specific external or environmental cues.

White fat versus brown fat (versus beige fat) – COMPOSITION

White fat

These fat cells are large, round droplets with very few mitochondria (the energy producing powerhouses of all cells).
It’s poorly vascularized tissue, meaning it does not possess a very good blood supply network. (*)
This blood supply decreases even more as the fat cells increase. (*)

Brown fat

Brown fat cells, on the other hand, are smaller elliptical droplets with a large number of mitochondria.
It’s richly vascularized by blood supply, which better helps to distribute the generated heat across the body. (*)
It’s also deeply connected to the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our fight-flight-freeze response. (*)

Beige fat

Beige fat cells are smaller, round droplets. They’re richer in mitochondria due to the “browning” effect.
They can be difficult to differentiate from brown fat.

White fat versus Brown fat (versus Beige fat) – FUNCTION

White fat

WAT was traditionally thought of as a form of passive storage of energy (excess calories). This view has evolved to understand how essential it is in glucose (sugar) and lipid (fat) homeostasis (balance) in the body. (*)

White fat does indeed store excess calories, in the form of triglycerides (aka, those fat droplets). In times of greater energy demand or food shortage, it will in turn release free fatty acids as fuel. (*)

However, white fat cells also secrete different types of hormones, enzymes, growth factors, and other compounds. These help regulate metabolism, food intake, energy use, immunity, and even blood pressure. (*)

Related content: How To Increase Growth Hormone Naturally

Brown fat

Brown fat, as mentioned earlier, is mostly involved in non-shivering thermogenesis – it “burns” calories by producing heat. It does this in response to outside cues, which can be exercise-induced, cold-induced, or diet-induced. (*)

There is also a lot of evidence mounting that brown fat helps to regulate fat and blood sugar levels in the body, helping to maintain a healthy metabolic balance. (*)

Beige fat

Beige fat, by sharing characteristics of both white and brown fat, can act as energy storage (like white), or as a heat generator (like brown). This will depend on the environmental conditions. (*)

So why should you care about the white fat versus brown fat discussion?

Much like the stress response, “fat” is neither 100% good or 100% bad – it has functions and a purpose. Even white fat, as unaesthetic as it might seem sometimes, has purpose. The problems come when there’s excess.

You need a heathy layer of white fat to maintain proper hormone balance and fertility, for instance. One of the first side effects of too low a fat mass for women is that ovulation stops and you no longer get regular periods. This is because the body interprets it as “not enough food available to support and develop a new life”.
But an excess of white fat will lead to chronic inflammation in the body, which will increase insulin sensitivity, blood sugar levels, and your chances of developing metabolic syndrome.

This is also known as “inflammaging” – to put it simply, chronic inflammation will age your body faster, in every way. (*)

By activating brown fat and “browning” white fat you’ll increase energy output, speeding up metabolism and decreasing unhealthy white fat stores. This in turn will improve blood sugar metabolism and insulin sensitivity, in effect rejuvenating your body. (*)

Brown fat activation and white fat “browning” (bio-hacks)

As we’ve seen, you can activate brown fat, or help to “brown” white fat, through certain types of stimulation.

The most studied so far are cold exposure, exercise, and certain plant compounds. (*)

1 – Cold Exposure

Prolonged and consistent cold exposure activates brown fat and “browns” white fat. (*)

When exposed to cold temperatures, the skin receptors transmit the data to the brain. This automatically increases the activity of the sympathetic nerves connected to the BAT tissue.
The noradrenaline released in response will stimulate the brown fat cells and help to mobilize the white fat cells, in an attempt to raise the core body temperature. Repeated exposure will help to “brown” white fat cells over time.

Of all the methods for BAT activation or WAT “browning” studied so far, cold exposure seems to be the most effective. (*)

2 – Exercise

When we exercise, our energy deposits (i.e., white fat stores) are released back into circulation as free fatty acids for fuel.

This reduces our white fat stores, improving metabolism, reducing inflammation, and insulin sensitivity.
Regular exercise has also been shown to increase mitochondria activity, in effect “browning” our WAT stores. This in turn will also lead to enhanced white fat oxidation (i.e. white fat “burning”). (*)
Regular exercise has also been shown to upregulate brown fat genes in the body. (*)

3 – Diet

Every time you eat, your body goes into what’s called “diet-induced thermogenesis”, meaning your body temperature goes up.

This thermogenesis is divided into two types: obligatory and facultative.

Obligatory refers to the energy necessary for the simple digestion, absorption, and storage of the nutrients.

Facultative (or adaptive) refers to any additional response that may or may not be present, on top of the obligatory ones. In the case of diet, this might be the act of overfeeding, or any active compounds present in the food ingested that might affect the sympathetic nervous system. That might cause it to regulate the temperature up or down. (*)

Of all the factors so far known to activate BAT and “brown” WAT, the diet-induced ones are the most “flimsy”.

The vast majority of studies have been performed on animals, specifically rodents, and there’s still a lot to be backed up by human trials.

It’s worth noting that, apparently, rodents (and other smaller mammals) have a higher biological tendency towards white fat “browning”. They’re more dependent on temperature regulation through these mechanisms than humans. (*)

It’s important to have that in mind when adding any of the following bio-actives to your diet, for the purposes of activating BAT or “browning” WAT.

Capsaicin and capsinoids

Capsaicin is the active compound in hot chilies and capsinoids are the active component of “sweet” red peppers.

Both these actives have been shown to have a thermogenic (temperature raising) and anti-obesity (fat burning) effect. Studies have proven that happens, at least in part, by both activating brown fat and “browning” white fat. (*)
They increase the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, resulting in a quick increase of brown fat temperature and whole body energy output. This in turn also decreases white fat stores. (*)
They are also particularly effective at helping cold-induced brown fat activation, so they would be a good thing to pair with cold exposure, for best results. (*)

Resveratrol

Resveratrol is a well-known powerful antioxidant and sirtuin activator – in other words, it makes you young(er)!

It’s present in foods like mulberries, the skin of grapes, in red wine and even peanuts. It upregulates genes responsible for creating mitochondria and downregulates the ones responsible for promoting fat storage. Resveratrol also has an essential role in “browning” white fat stores. (*)
It’s anti-inflammatory and it significantly increases markers for both brown and beige fat. (*)

Related content: Best Sirtfoods For Anti-aging & Weight Loss

Curcumin

Another very famous polyphenol found in turmeric roots, which is a member of the ginger family.

It’s very popular to promote weight loss, especially around the waist and hips, and it helps to increase metabolism and adaptive (non-shivering) thermogenesis.
In effect, it helps decrease white fat stores and to induce white fat “browning”. (*)

Green tea

A powerful ingredient to induce weight loss and fat “burning”.

According to studies, this is in part due to the catechins naturally present in tea, but particularly in green tea, the most active of which being EGCG.

These catechins may also work in synergy with the caffeine, also naturally present in tea, to promote brown fat creation and activation. (*)
When caffeine alone is ingested, it seems to have a very small effect on body temperature and energy output. But the ingestion of green tea contributes to weight loss, an increase in fat metabolism and energy output. This reduces white fat stores and increases heat production (thermogenesis). (*)
The polyphenols in green tea have many other health benefits. Besides being anti-obesity, it is also anticarcinogenic, antibacterial, antioxidant, antihypertensive and hypocholesterolemic (lowers cholesterol). (*)

Menthol

Menthol is naturally present in all mints, especially peppermint. It has a host of proven health benefits.

It’s antitussive (calms coughs), anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antipruritic (calms itching), and analgesic (calms pain). (*)
Long-term ingestion of menthol seems to increase brown fat activation and fat metabolism, also lowering insulin sensitivity. (*)
Applying menthol to the skin has also been shown to increase body temperature through non-shivering (adaptive) thermogenesis. (*)

Fish-derived Omega-3 fatty acids

There is evidence mounting that fish-derived Omega-3 fatty acids stimulate brown fat activation and white fat “browning”, by improving blood sugar balance and energy output (metabolism). (*)

Pre- , pro- and postbiotics

The microbiome composition in your gut directly impacts your chances of developing certain diseases, like obesity and metabolic syndrome.

It plays an essential role in energy output and metabolism balance. There are a number of studies relating the gut microbiome with the thermogenic (heat creation) ability of brown fat and the “browning” effect on white fat. (*)

Prebiotics are all those non-digestible food compounds that are able to influence your existing gut microbiome towards a “healthier” profile. They can come under the form of plant polyphenols (like the resveratrol mentioned earlier but also quercetin, catechins, etc.), as well as from complex carbohydrates, and the soluble dietary fiber in fruits and vegetables. They’ll boost the proliferation of “good bugs” and/or kill “bad bugs” in your gut.

Probiotics, on the other hand, are all those fermented foods you consume that have the actual live cultures in them. Foods like yogurt and kefir, sauerkraut or kimchi, drinks like Kombucha, or vinegars with the “mother”. Consuming them will add those live cultures to your microbiome.

Postbiotics are all the by-products of microbiome metabolism (“digestion”) in your gut.

All of these have been connected to an adaptive (non-shivering) thermogenesis boost in brown fat and enhanced “browning” of white fat. (*)

I hope the whole white fat versus brown fat thing makes a bit more sense now.

Please let me know if anything is confusing or if you have any questions that are not covered in this post – I’ll do my best to find the answers!

White Fat Versus Brown Fat (Versus Beige Fat) And Why You Should Care

First, the basic concepts of fat