Brown adipose tissue
The “brown fat tissue” is to be distinguished from the so-called “white fat tissue”. While the former is the usual “normal” fat, the latter is a special form of adipose tissue, which is found in activated form mainly in newborns, and there primarily in the neck and breast area. Its function is to produce heat, which is particularly important in newborns, as they are increasingly affected by hypothermia.
The brown fat tissue gets its brown color from a particularly high number of mitochondria – the so-called “power stations of the cell”. These produce the required heat. Until a few years ago, it was assumed that adults no longer had brown adipose tissue because it was simply no longer needed.
Recent research has shown, however, that more than 10% of brown adipose tissue is also present in adults – but in an inactivated form. This is important because artificial activation of this adipose tissue causes increased energy consumption and could help patients lose weight. Rodents, for example, can actively convert white adipose tissue into brown adipose tissue and use it to produce heat during hibernation. The actual feasibility of this is still the subject of research in 2015.
