Burning Calorie Fat
This “good” fat, researchers said, unlike white fat that makes up most body fat, is active in burning calories and using energy.
Burning calorie fat may seem like science fiction, but a study released found that adults have small blobs of metabolism-regulating brown fat previously believed to exist only in babies and children.
The study, published in Thursday’s issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, showed that brown fat subsisted in adult humans and demonstrated, for the first time, that it is metabolically active.
“The fact that there is active brown fat in adult humans means this is now a new and important target for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes,” said the study’s senior author C. Ronald Kahn, who heads an obesity and hormone action section of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
The researchers said that obesity and other metabolic disorders could be treated by stimulating brown fat growth to control weight and improve glucose metabolism.
Brown fat may have a role in regulating body weight metabolism, with higher levels of brown fat helping protect against obesity linked with aging, according to the study.
Younger and thinner patients who had normal blood glucose levels had more brown fat, researchers found. Brown fat was also more active during colder weather, when it plays a key role in burning energy to produce heat.
“Not only did we find active brown fat in adult humans, we found important differences in the amount of brown fat based on a variety of factors such as age, glucose levels and, most importantly, level of obesity,” said lead author Aaron Cypess, a physician at Joslin, which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
The researchers analyzed a database of 1,972 patients who had nuclear (PET) or X-ray (CT) imaging scans during a three-year period for a variety of reasons. They found significant brown fat deposits in 7.5 percent of female patients and in over 3 percent of male patients.
“These numbers clearly represent an underestimate, since PET/CT can only detect collections of brown fat cells of a certain size and activity, and could miss smaller and less active deposits,” Kahn explained.
Cypess said the findings “suggest that there is previously unrecognized, heat-generating brown fat in many adults.”
Most of the brown fat deposits were found in the patients’ necks. The researchers tested the tissue of two patients whose scans showed brown fat concentrations in their necks and found that the cells had the protein UCP-1, which is unique to brown fat.
Significant amounts of brown fat may be present in a much larger portion of the population, but may be more spread out and thus not as easily seen on imaging, Kahn said.
Creation of a Comfort food
CHICAGO - A baseball park in Michigan has created an artery-busting hamburger containing 4,800 calories and is daring fans to eat the “snack,” promising a free t-shirt to anyone who succeeds.
In an apparent bid to cook up some comfort food during hard economic times, the West Michigan Whitecaps are offering fans a behemoth dubbed the Fifth Third Burger, named after the team’s ballpark and the meal’s five beef patties, which each weigh one third of a pound (136 grams).
The burger is smothered with chili, salsa, sour cream and a dollop of melted nacho-style cheese — topped off with Frito chips, lettuce, tomato and five slices of American cheese and laid out in a bun made with a pound (454 grams) of dough.
“Besides being unique and large and bizarre, it tastes good,” Whitecaps president Scott Lane told the Grand Rapids News.
“I’m sure there are going to be crazies that come down and try to eat the entire thing.”
In addition to weighing in at more than double the US daily recommended caloric intake, the Fifth Third Burger contains nearly 300 grams of fat, 744 milligrams of cholesterol and more than 10,000 milligrams of sodium, the paper said.
Lane shrugged off the health implications inherent in taking on the Fifth Third.
“At home, people eat healthy. When they come to a game, they might eat a hot dog.”
Calorie Content of Restaurans are now being Counted
A total of 17 restaurant chains and catering companies have agreed to give consumers more information about what they are eating.
They have signed up to strict criteria set out by the Foods Standards Agency (FSA), working with the Department of Health.
They must show the number of calories in each portion in writing that is clear and at least as prominent as the name or price of the product, display calorie information for most food and drink they serve and print calorie information on menu boards, paper menus or on the edge of shelves
By the end of June, 350 outlets across the country will have menus carrying calorie information and more companies are expected to join the scheme in the coming months.
So far, the 17 firms that have signed up are: Wimpy, Burger King, Compass Group UK and Ireland, Co-operative supermarket cafes, ISS Mediclean, KFC, Marks and Spencer Revive cafes, Chessington World of Adventures theme park, Harvester and Scream pubs, Pizza Hut, Pret A Manger, Sainsbury’s cafes, Sodexo, Subway, Unilever staff canteens, Waitrose cafes, 7 Day Catering.
Public health minister Dawn Primarolo said: “People want to easily see how many calories are in the food and drink they order when they eat out.
“This ground-breaking group of companies will help people to know what’s in the food they are eating.
“I want to see more companies and more outlets to help even more people live healthier lives.”
Tim Smith, chief executive of the FSA, said: “We are really pleased that such a diverse range of companies has agreed to work with us by introducing calorie labelling at the crucial point where their customers make a decision about what to eat.
“Our aim is to ensure that consumers have better information so they can make informed choices to improve their diet when eating out, whether that is a snack on the go, a meal in a staff restaurant or at a table being served by a waiter.”