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Learn How to Increase Brown Fat to Burn Calories Instead of Store Them

By Joe Boland

February 15, 2024

Imagine a type of fat tissue that burns calories instead of storing them. Sounds too good to be true, right? But that's precisely what brown fat does. 

While you might be familiar with white fat, its counterpart brown fat acts as an energy-burning powerhouse, offering potential benefits for healthy weight management, healthy blood sugar (already in the normal range) management and even support for a healthy metabolism.

So if you’re looking for ways to lose weight or manage healthy weight, focusing on your brown fat could be a helpful solution. (In addition to a healthy, reduced calorie diet and a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise, of course.) 

As always, you should consult your healthcare professional prior to beginning any new dietary or lifestyle regimen. 

What Is Brown Fat?

Unlike white fat, which primarily serves as energy storage, brown fat actively generates heat through a process called thermogenesis. This heat production involves burning calories, contributing to your body's overall energy expenditure.

Think of it as an internal furnace, keeping you warm while simultaneously torching calories.

Brown Fat vs. White Fat

While both fat types play distinct roles, understanding their differences is crucial.

Brown Fat

Location: Primarily found in specific areas like the neck, shoulders and spine in adults.

Function: Generates heat via thermogenesis, burning calories and supporting a healthy metabolic reaction.

Activity: More active in infants and decreases with age, but can be temporarily reactivated.

Benefits: Linked to healthy weight management, healthy blood sugar support (for healthy blood sugar levels already in the normal range) and healthy metabolism promotion. 

White Fat

Location: Distributed throughout the body, forming visible fat deposits.

Function: Primarily stores energy as triglycerides.

Activity: Relatively inactive metabolically.

Drawbacks: Excess white fat can contribute to weight gain and an unhealthy metabolic response.

Can You Convert White Fat to Brown Fat?

While directly converting white fat to brown fat might not be entirely possible, research suggests processes like "beiging" can occur. During beiging, white fat cells take on some characteristics of brown fat, promoting a healthy metabolic response. Exercise and certain dietary components certainly play a role in this process.

Benefits of Brown Fat

The calorie-burning prowess of brown fat offers several potential health benefits:

• Healthy Weight Management: Increased brown fat activity may contribute to increased energy expenditure, aiding in healthy weight maintenance.

• Healthy Blood Sugar Support (for blood sugar levels already in the normal range): Brown fat can help with maintaining normal, healthy blood sugar levels.

• Healthy Metabolic Functioning: Increased brown fat activity may be linked to supporting a healthy metabolism.

How to Increase Brown Fat

While research is ongoing, some strategies may help "turn up" your brown fat activity:

1. Expose yourself to cool temperatures

Brief cold showers, short periods in cool environments, taking a cold plunge (only after consulting with your healthcare professional) or spending time outdoors in chilly weather may help activate brown fat.

2. Exercise

Studies suggest regular exercise, particularly high-intensity interval training (HIIT), may boost brown fat activity and "beige fat" formation. (Beige fat behaves similarly to brown fat.)

3. Eat a healthy diet

Some food components, like capsaicin (found in chili peppers) and ursolic acid (in apples and blueberries), may indirectly influence brown fat activity. However, focus on a balanced diet for overall health.

4. Get your sleep

According to research, hormones like ghrelin and leptin that control appetite can encourage white fat to act more like brown fat. It appears that if you stop eating once you reach satiety — not until you feel stuffed or too full — it can help activate brown fat response.

You also want to avoid not eating enough as well, which can slow down brown fat activation.

5. Manage stress

The relationship between stress and white visceral fat around the abdomen is well established. Thus, it makes sense that finding natural ways to unwind can help promote more brown fat and less white fat.

Eat a healthy diet, and consider taking stress relief supplements like Stress & Sleep Support Capsules, Organic Ashwagandha and SBO Probiotics (for women).

6. Take certain supplements

Research on specific supplements to directly increase brown fat is ongoing, and certain healthy weight management supplements are promising in regard to burning fat and/or building lean muscle.

Here are some to try:

Multi Collagen Advanced Lean Capsules

Collagen capsules from 10 food-based sources, Multi Collagen Advanced Lean is a weight loss* supplement that helps you burn calories and boost your metabolism.

*In addition to a healthy, reduced-calorie diet and healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise. For healthy study participants with a BMI  > 30.

Multi Collagen Advanced Lean Powder

A collagen powder from 10 food-based sources, Multi Collagen Advanced Lean Powder (cinnamon flavor) is a healthy weight management* supplement designed to help you burn calories and boost your metabolism.

*In addition to a healthy diet and lifestyle, including regular exercise. 

Multi Collagen Advanced Muscle Capsules

Looking for a supplement for a muscle boost*? From 10 food-based sources, Multi Collagen Advanced Muscle Capsules use select ingredients to boost lean body mass. Features a proprietary muscle building blend that includes East Indian globe thistle and mango bark extract.

Final Thoughts

Brown fat, while not a magic bullet, holds potential for improving health and aiding healthy weight management. While increasing brown fat activity requires further research, incorporating strategies like regular exercise, exposure to cool temperatures and a healthy diet can contribute to overall well-being and potentially unlock the power of your inner furnace. 

Remember, consult your healthcare provider before any changes to your diet or lifestyle, including your exercise routine.