Research

Energy balance

Activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) or induction of beige fat in white adipose tissue (WAT) increases energy expenditure and protects against obesity and type 2 diabetes.

You can naturally boost your metabolic rate by activating brown fat. The most accessible method is moderate cold exposure (around 17°C/63°F) for about 2 hours daily. This has been shown to increase energy expenditure and reduce body fat mass in adults. Additionally, exercise promotes the release of factors like irisin and FGF21, which help convert white fat into energy-burning beige fat.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Promotion of BAT activity or the browning of WAT is associated with in vivo cold tolerance, increased energy expenditure, and protection against obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Anna Fenzl et al. · Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation · 2014

Why this rating

The paper is a review summarizing preclinical animal models and observational human studies; it notes a lack of effective pharmacological interventions.

Source

Brown adipose tissue and thermogenesis

Anna Fenzl et al. · Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation · 2014

DOI 10.1515/hmbci-2014-0022

narrative_reviewCited 226×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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