Fat is the victim of a smear campaign. At some point, it became a dirty word. And it’s regularly blamed for heart troubles.
When it comes to our bodies, fat was long ago labeled enemy number one. After all, everyone wants a lean, mean physique, and a fat-free body, right?
Well, my friend, it turns out it’s not that simple. Not all fat is bad on the bod. In fact, there’s one form you actually want MORE of.
Because instead of being a threat to your ticker, this very special fat is a heart helper.
There’s just one problem. (Isn’t there always?) As we get older, this fat quietly slips away until there’s practically none left.
So today, allow me to explain exactly what it is and why you need it. And I’ll share some tips on how to get more of it, right when you need it most.
REDUCE weight and BOOST health with brown fat
You and I both are all too familiar with the “wrong” form of body fat. It’s the white, blubbery stuff that clings to our hips and flips over our waistbands.
Belly fat. Abdominal fat. Muffin top. Junk in the trunk. You can call it whatever you like, but mostly you’d just like to call it GONE.
But there’s another form of fat that gets no attention. It’s called brown fat. And it acts almost like an internal thermostat that can literally burn off unsightly white fat.
In other words, it can help us melt away unwanted blubber and lose weight. But new research reveals brown fat’s benefits don’t stop there. It turns out it can do so much more.
The study finds folks who have higher levels of brown fat have lower (in some cases dramatically lower) risks of:
- diabetes
- coronary artery disease
- congestive heart failure
- cerebrovascular disease
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
That’s impressive, for sure. But their research also revealed something else that may be even MORE amazing.
In folks carrying around too much weight, higher brown fat levels almost canceled out many of the effects of the extra weight. In the obese, the fat helped cut the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and more.
Restore this healthy fat’s levels NATURALLY
Now, I wouldn’t advise relying on brown fat alone to keep you healthy. It’s still best to lose those excess pounds, of course. But brown fat is a great tool to help lower your risks as you work on getting there.
When we’re born, we have lots of healthy, fat-burning brown fat on board. The trouble is we tend to lose it over time.
Fortunately, there ARE some ways to boost your brown-fat levels, and I’ve got three of them for you today:
- Eat more apples: Munching on a daily apple won’t just keep the doctor away. Apple skins contain a compound called ursolic acid, which can help convert calories into brown fat.
- Get chilly: If you can handle a cooler room, lower temperatures can help your body create and retain brown fat. Studies show 10-15 minutes of shivering can also have a powerful effect on brown fat. Just don’t actually risk your health (or your marriage, given some of the battles I’ve seen over the thermostat).
- Get chili: Capsaicin, which gives peppers their heat, can help speed metabolism and “activate” brown fat. Studies show the compound may help transform some white fat into brown fat, too.
There’s also another trick you can try. A few years back, a study found increasing your bile acids can transform unsightly white fat into metabolism-boosting brown fat. Certain foods – including garlic, onions, carrots, celery, radish, beets, and artichokes – can stimulate the production of those bile acids.
But there are also some other easy ways to get the job done, and you can read all about them for free right here.
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