Research

Energy balance

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) functions as an energy buffer by dissipating excess caloric intake as heat through thermogenesis, thereby protecting against obesity and metabolic disorders.

Your body has a natural 'energy buffer' called brown fat that burns calories as heat. While you can't buy it, you can potentially activate it through mild cold exposure (like cooler showers or lower room temperatures), which may help offset excess calorie intake and support metabolic health.

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Brown adipose tissue (BAT) functions as an energy buffer by dissipating excess caloric intake as heat through thermogenesis, thereby protecting against obesity and metabolic disorders.
Jeffrey S. Flier et al. · New England Journal of Medicine · 1984

Why this rating

Published in NEJM, this is a high-quality review of established physiological mechanisms and clinical observations.

Source

Thermogenesis in Brown Adipose Tissue as an Energy Buffer

Jeffrey S. Flier et al. · New England Journal of Medicine · 1984

DOI 10.1056/nejm198412133112407

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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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