It seems that in winter, vitamin A plays an interesting function at the metabolic level.

In fact, according to a new study, it would be essential to convert white fat into brown fat, that is to say in that “metabolic” fat that allows to raise the metabolism and reduce adipose accumulations.

VITAMIN A STIMULATES CONVERSION IN BROWN FAT

What are the differences between white fat and brown fat

We know that brown fat is present in negligible percentages in adults, but that it is found more in thin people, while it is practically absent in overweight or obese people.

In children, a greater presence of brown fat stimulates thermogenesis, that is, it allows you to burn calories to raise the body temperature in cold weather.

In adults, the more normal body fat, called white, is present, the less brown fat there is. This type of fat is so important for raising metabolism and reducing normal fat that in recent years there are many weight loss strategies that aim to increase brown fat in the body.

Which therefore does not have the same volume as fat: these are very small fat deposits, with an absolutely positive role in slimming.

And there is a possibility that white fat will turn brown in a small percentage.
This conversion allows the body to get rid of the rest of the excess fat, increasing metabolism. So even though we always talk about fat, white fat (what we call fat) and brown fat have different functions.

The second stimulates the metabolism.

VITAMIN A: a natural fat burner thanks to the cold

In a study published in Molecular Metabolism by the department of endocrinology and metabolism of the MedUni in Vienna , it appears that vitamin A, in winter, increases metabolism by increasing the levels of brown fat in the body.

Being fat-soluble, vitamin A is initially stored in the liver and then redistributed in the tissues.

But when it’s cold, the vitamin A that gets into the fat tissues acts on the fat cells. Here it turns them from white to brown, allowing the body to get rid of the rest of the excess fat and burn more calories.

A very important discovery. As we have seen in the article dedicated to brown fat , until now we knew what its functions were, but not how to increase it to lose weight, except for a few hypotheses.

For example, it was known that exposing yourself to the cold in winter, avoiding covering yourself too much and living in very heated environments, burned more calories.

And that this could be a way to avoid gaining weight in the winter.

For this to happen, two conditions are therefore necessary.

• Have good levels of vitamin A (absolutely not through supplementation) by eating foods that naturally contain retinol, and simply beta-carotene.
• More exposure to cold, which is essential for vitamin A to push the body to burn excess white fat deposits.So don’t cover yourself up too much.
  If you are at home, avoid putting on two sweaters and turning on every heat source to the maximum, in order to allow the body to warm up by burning calories, precisely by activating brown fat.
  Foods that contain vitamin A are liver, egg yolk, whole dairy products and aged cheeses, fatty fish such as mackerel or salmon, butter.
  And, for those on a vegetarian or vegan diet, Kellog’s special K. cereals are the ones that have the most. In addition, eat spicy.