Research

Hormonal

Chronic exercise promotes the 'beiging' of white adipose tissue (WAT), transforming energy-storing white adipocytes into thermogenic beige adipocytes that express UCP1 and increase mitochondrial activity.

Regular exercise can change your fat cells from simple storage units into active energy burners. This process, called 'beiging,' increases the number of mitochondria in your fat tissue and helps burn fat for heat. While this is most clearly seen in animal studies, it suggests that consistent exercise creates a more metabolically active body.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Another consequence of exercise is the recently described phenomenon of adipose tissue 'beiging,' i.e., a switch from energy-storing white adipocyte phenotype to thermogenic FA oxidizing beige adipocytes. This process is regulated by myokines released during the exercise.
Adriana Mika et al. · Frontiers in Physiology · 2019

Why this rating

The paper notes that while well-documented in rodents, data in humans is limited and results regarding BAT activity can be controversial.

Source

Effect of Exercise on Fatty Acid Metabolism and Adipokine Secretion in Adipose Tissue

Adriana Mika et al. · Frontiers in Physiology · 2019

DOI 10.3389/fphys.2019.00026

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

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