The type of fat that is healthier for us is called Brown Fat, or Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) and it is more metabolically active. Research has shown there are 6 compounds found in food that help convert white fat into brown fat.

Unwanted belly fat is stubborn and hard to get rid of - it's white adipose tissue and serves no purpose to us.

As the menopause transition arrives, there is internal chaos between our changing hormones, our decreasing metabolism, not sleeping and stress. All of these factors contribute to increased storage of superficial white fat around our abdomen, diaphragm and breasts. This fat literally just sits there and gives you the muffin top you never wanted and never asked for .... and are struggling to get rid of.

This type of fat that defines menopause weight gain is called White Adipose Tissue (WAT) and is the type of fat that is stored easily around your belly, diaphragm, breasts, thighs and even around your heart.

But this type of fat is superficial fat and is unhealthy fat because these cells store excess energy from food as well as oestrogen and these fat cells expand and expand,,...and expand - cue big belly fat.

This means that it has higher numbers of mitochondria in it so these are the cells that help to turn fat into energy to help us get through our day. Oxygen and fats work together within the mitochondria, to make energy that fuels our metabolism. Yes, brown fat is fat but it's good fat as we use it for energy and can burn it off with the right exercise.

Newly available research indicates that there are SIX main compounds in foods that actually help white storage fat to move towards becoming brown metabolically active fat by stimulating energy expenditure and switching white fat to brown fat. Magic!!!!

1. Capsaicin and Capsinoids:

These compounds are active in peppers. Capsaicin is the active ingredient that is responsible for the pungency and hotness sensation of chilli peppers. Capsinoids are in red peppers and don’t have the pungency and heat of chilli peppers. Both these compounds have elicited enormous interest in fat-loss supplements because of their role in enhancing fat oxidation (breaks down in the presence of oxygen) and increasing energy expenditure through turning white fat cells towards brown fat cells.

Capsaicin is an active ingredient of hot peppers. Capsinoids are found in non-hot peppers. Both compounds enhance fat oxidation and increase energy expenditure through the promotion of brown adipose tissue.

2. Resveratrol:

This is a natural stilbenoid, which is a type of natural phenol, produced by several plants in response to injury or when the plant is under attack by pathogens, such as bacteria or fungi. Sources of resveratrol in food include the skin of grapes, red wine, blueberries, raspberries, mulberries, and peanuts. Resveratrol is getting interested in health and longevity research as well as metabolic research because it helps to improve the size of mitochondria. As we lose muscle size and density in menopause, we also lose mitochondria numbers. This impacts the muscle’s metabolic activity and the rate of fat burning. Adding some resveratrol-rich foods and yes, even some red wine, to your diet, will help you burn fat.

Grapes - and therefore red wine - contain resveratrol which plays.a crucial role in brown adipocyte formation and activation

3. Curcumin:

If you are taking supplements for joint pain or hot flushes, then you might want to see if these contain curcumin or its other name, diferuloylmethane. Curcumin is a yellow-coloured compound which is found in the extracts of Turmeric roots. Whilst we all know that this is commonly used as a spice in cooking, it has also been recognised for its potential value as an anti-obesity agent (Mantzorou et al, 2018). Although many of the studies have been conducted on mice and rats, results are promising that regular curcumin intake promotes energy expenditure.

Curcumin has been recognised for its potential value as an anti-obesity agent

4. Green Tea:

If any of you have ever taken fat-loss supplements, then these may well have contained tea catechin extracts. Whilst some studies don’t support the research on catechins in green tea and their effect on fat-burning, other scientists report that green tea extracts have caffeine, which is known for its thermogenic (heat-producing) properties. This thermogenic effect as a result of the caffeine, may well play a role in the increase in brown fat in some studies into the role that green tea catechins play in the recruitment and activation of brown adipose tissue in humans.

Green tea contains caffeine which is known for its thermogenic properties

5. Menthol:

Also known as mint camphor, menthol is either produced synthetically or obtained from peppermint Mentha piperita. For centuries, mint/menthol has been known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-pruritic, anti-viral and analgesic effects. Now researchers also know that it enhances metabolic activity in both brown and white adipose tissue. Menthol is cooling and therefore, plays a role in increasing non-shivering thermogenesis (heat generation) in muscles and now, fat cells. We all know that when we buy some joint or muscle-healing creams, there is a slight analgesic effect when you put it on your skin. This is due to the menthol and researchers now think that this substance has a promising role to play in regulating energy balance and metabolism in weight management.

Mint contains many wonderful health properties: anti-inflammatory, anti-pyritic, anti-viral and analgesic. It's also known to induce a cooling sensation which activates increased metabolic activity of brown and white fat cells.

6. Fish-derived Omega-3 Fatty Acids:

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are the major type of fats found in fish oil supplements and in fatty fish such as salmon. Whilst the supplementation of fish oil has been shown to increase brown tissue and protein levels in rats, more recent research suggests that dietary PUFAs lower the amount of abdominal white adipose tissue. How this happens is still a bit unclear but the researchers suggest that fish oil contributes to brown fat production by stimulating the digestive tract to trigger, via the brain, increases in sympathetic nervous system response. Increased nervous system activity is known to increase adrenaline, which in turn increases metabolism.

Omega-3 fatty acids help to lower the amount of white adipose tissue. For more nutritional help and advice, contact Charlotte in Sitges

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