How Does Cold Exposure Activate Brown Fat?

Brown adipose tissue also known as brown fat is a very unique yet unexplored organ. It is responsible for warming your body up in uncomfortable and extremely cold temperatures, and it does that by utilising sugar and fat from your bloodstream, which eventually improves your metabolism.

Scientists agree that the beige color of the brown adipose tissue is due to the fact that there are more mitochondria in brown fat cells than in white fat cells. As many remember from the school lessons, mitochondria is the ‘powerhouse’ of cells and the main engine of metabolism in them.¹

Scientists have found that the reserves of brown fat in adult humans are located around clavicles and along the spine. Surprisingly, they also found small amounts close to both our hearts and kidneys.

It’s been proven that brown adipose tissue activation improves glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity, by regulating glucose levels in blood. Fighting insulting sensitivity is very important for preventing diabetes, obesity, and other metabolic issues.

Activation of brown adipose tissue via cold exposure has been linked to increased levels of circulating adiponectin. It is a hormone involved in regulating glucose levels and fatty acid breakdown. Scientists noticed that centenarians – people who live over 100 years old – and their offsprings have genetic advantages that result in higher concentrations of plasma adiponectin. So that might be another perk of brown fat power.^{1, 2, 3, 4}

Exposing the body to cold temperatures is the best and most effective way to activate and build up brown adipose tissue.

When our bodies experience the ‘cold shock’ the temperature regulation centre in the hypothalamus increases the release of norepinephrine – the alertness hormone. It sends signals to brown fat for starting heat production also or thermogenesis. Brown fat starts making heat from ‘fuel’ – sugar and fat from bloodstreams all around the body.

The short answer is yes, it is possible! The longer version – you can increase the volume of the brown fat cells in your body if you are healthy or not suffering from a serious illness but more studies need to be conducted on different people to find out the possibilities and ways of building up the BAT in metabolically unhealthy people.

A 2014 study involved a group of healthy young men that were wearing a cooling suit at 10°C (50°F), for 2 hours daily 5 days a week. After a month, their brown fat volume increased by 45% from the baseline.⁵

Moreover, the oxidative metabolism in their brown fat increased more than two-fold, which supports the hypothesis that cold exposure increases energy expenditure and brings metabolic benefits.

Incorporating practices such as cold showers, cold plunges, or spending time in cooler environments can be helpful. These activities need not be extreme; even moderate cold exposure can activate brown fat.⁴ Here are some practical tips on the practices:

1. Shivering is the key. Without shivering you will not release the succinate which induces the thermogenesis in brown fat.⁶

2. Get in, get out, repeat. To get yourself shivering, you have to do several repetitions of exposing yourself to cold. For example, you can stay in the cold shower for 30 seconds, then get out for a minute without drying yourself with the towel – which will stimulate more shivering – and get back into cold water again.

3. Practice cold exposure 1-5 times a week. For many people, three cold exposure practices per week are optimal, but even one exposure per week can be valuable.

4. The temperature should be uncomfortable. The result of your cold exposure practice depends on how cold-adapted you are. Different people may need different temperatures that feel just uncomfortable enough to stay in but not unbearable. In most cases, it’s 15°C (60°F).

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