Dr Lee showed that during cold exposure and exercise, levels of the hormone irisin (produced by muscle) and FGF21 (produced by brown fat) rose. Specifically, around 10-15 minutes of shivering resulted in equivalent rises in irisin as an hour of moderate exercise. In the laboratory, irisin and FGF21 turn human white fat cells into brown fat cells over a period of six days. The study is now published in Cell Metabolism.Hard to say which one I would choose. I truly hate being cold. But I also dislike exercising. Huh.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
The lesser evil
Evidence that shivering and exercise may convert white fat to brown
