Most people prefer doing their exercise during the hot days as they believe they could burn more fat than during the cold days. However, a new study finds that a combination of chilly days and vitamin A might be better to help burn fat.
In the latest study by researchers from the Medical University of Vienna led by researcher Florian Kiefer, the study describes how the increased amount of vitamin A during the cold winter season helps transform the white fatty tissue into brown fats which is better for fat burning.
The study, published in the journal Molecular Metabolism, shows how vitamin A could be a therapy for obesity in response to the cold weather.
From White Fat to Brown Fat
Most people carry two types of adipose tissues - - the white and brown fats. White fat makes up over 90% of the body fat that is usually situated in the abdomen, bottom, and upper thighs. These are the areas where the white fat is deposited when obesity strikes, according to Kiefer.
Meanwhile, brown fat is activated during the cold winter season that produces heat to maintain body temperature, according to MayoClinic. It is in limited quantities in the adult human body that is considered to treat obesity. But it has long been a mystery how the body generates fat as the person gets old.
The study showed that vitamin A is triggered during cold seasons to help with the browning process of the adipose to easily burn fat that uses energy and generates heat.
Vitamin A Travels to the Fatty Areas When the Body Feels Cold
Vitamin A reaches the fatty cells when the body is called thanks to its blood transporter, retinol-binding protein. The researchers tried blocking it using genetic manipulation and discovered that vitamin A production due to cold and the fat browning process is stifled in the mice.
Moreover, tests on humans show that vitamin A goes to the white fat cells to turn it into brown fat cells which leads to an increased metabolic activity and energy consumption.
In a university press release, Kiefer explains that the mice lose their ability to protect themselves from the cold temperature as the browning process is hindered.
Ultimately, the study shows that vitamin A plays a vital role in the function of the fat cells or adipose tissues and could impact global energy metabolism.
However, the researchers said that their study does not encourage for large consumption of vitamin A especially if the doctors do not prescribe it because it is essential that vitamin A is transported to the right cells at the right time, Slash Gear reports.
According to the researcher from MedUni Vienna's Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, they have discovered through their study a new mechanism by which vitamin A regulates lipid processes in cold conditions which could help develop new therapeutic techniques that could use this particular intervention.
Check out more news and information on Medicine & Health at Science Times.
