Brown adipose fat, or BAT, formerly thought only to exist in fetuses and young children, is also present in adults. Unlike regular body fat, brown fat burns calories, which may result in weight loss. In fact, brown fat may be the key to treating diabetes and obesity, according to Boston's Joslin Diabetes Center, a nonprofit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Chilly temperatures and some proteins may help the process along.
Fat Flush Diet
The Fat Flush Diet includes a larger portion of protein than most--8 oz. per day--and a gamma linolenic acid, or GLA, supplement to activate brown fat. The diet was devised by nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman of Hayden, Idaho. In the first phase of the diet, you undergo a detoxification meant to cleanse your body through a limited combination of foods and 2 tbsp. per day of flaxseed oil. This phase limits you to 1,100 to 1,200 calories per day and calls for consuming eight glasses of the diet's cranberry-water mixture daily. You also drink hot water with lemon juice at breakfast to flush your liver and kidneys. Starchy vegetables such as corn, wheat and dairy are banned during the first phase. The second phase allows you to add a few carbohydrates such as rice and carrots, and the caloric limit is raised to 1,200 to 1,500, which is still low enough for weight loss at a slower, steady rate. The third phase is a low-carb diet for maintenance.
The Fat Flush Diet is not for coffee drinkers, as it reduces and then eliminates consumption of caffeine. The diet includes healthy omega-3 fats in the last two phases, but, based on the premise that certain food combinations promote weight loss, does not allow beverages with meals or the consumption of milk with proteins.
Brown Fat Revolution Diet
Believing that promoting brown fat not only is healthy, but contributes to a younger-looking face, plastic surgeon James Lyon, a former instructor at the Mayo Clinic, developed the Brown Fat Revolution Diet.
The diet prescribes consuming healthy fats and alternating between carbohydrates and proteins to regulate blood sugar, which promotes brown fat. While not specifically high-protein, the diet does allow several servings of lean proteins for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The four-week plan calls for six small meals per day, especially before and after workouts, to keep your metabolism humming along at a high rate without interruption. Vegetarian and vegan varieties of the diet are included.
Incorporated with the diet are exercise plans geared for specific age groups. The exercises emphasize strength training rather than cardiovascular exercise.
Considerations
Research into brown fat and new ways to mobilize it in the treatment of diabetes and obesity is ongoing. Beta blockers reduce brown fat, according to researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center, who also found that maintaining stable glucose levels actively promotes the production of brown fat. High-fat diets to increase brown fat work only on lean lab rats, according to the University of California. Consult a physician before embarking on any diet plan.
References
- Medical News Today: Activating Brown Fat Could Be Answer To Weight Loss
- Joslin Diabetes Center: Joslin study identifies 'good' energy burning fat in lean adults
- Diet.com: Fat Flush Diet
- Everydiet.com: Brown Fat Revolution Diet
- "Journal of Nutrition"; High Fat Feeding Increases Brown Fat GDP Binding In Lean But Not Obese Zucker Rats; Departments of Nutrition, Animal Physiology, Division of Clinical Nutrition, Department of Internal Medicine; and Food Intake Laboratory, University of California, 1990
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