Unleashing the Power of Thermogenesis: The Key to Long-Term Fat Loss
Brad King, MS, MFS
It’s a primal, potent force hidden in the heart of your cells, humbly tucked away in the very marrow of your being. This force, thermogenesis, may hold the key to unlocking long-lasting fat loss. For those of you who may be new to this term, thermogenesis is the process by which the body generates heat energy by burning fat.
The linchpin in this bioenergetic process is a remarkable cell type known as brown fat. Unlike its better-known counterpart, white fat, which stores energy, brown fat is a veritable metabolic furnace that creates energy by literally incinerating your body’s fat stores. This fat burning ability lies in the extraordinary amount of tiny metabolic engines called mitochondria that are present within these cells. Mitochondria are responsible for most of your energy production, through a metabolic process known as 'oxidative phosphorylation', the process of making energy from food and oxygen, the byproduct of which is heat production[1].
Fat Burning Starts in Your Head
The remarkable journey of thermogenesis begins in the brain, more specifically in the hypothalamus, an integral part of the body's thermostat. The hypothalamus, upon sensing low body temperature, sends signals to the brown fat cells to start producing heat[2]. This process of heat production, or thermogenesis, not only helps keep the body warm, but also prompts weight loss by tapping into our fat reserves.
Thermogenesis reaches beyond just weight loss. By reducing fat stores, it may potentially reduce the risks of conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. It also offers the promise of elevating basal metabolic rate, which determines how effective your body is at burning calories, potentially making it easier to maintain weight loss over time[3]. Now, armed with this knowledge, how can we harness this magical thermogenic advantage? Here are five effective ways:
- Supplementing with Thermogenic Substances Like Cayenne Pepper:
Capsaicin, the active component in cayenne pepper, is a potent thermogenic agent. It essentially tricks your body into a mild stress response, raising body temperature and thereby inducing thermogenesis[4]. This not only stokes your metabolic furnace, but it also can help regulate satiety and decrease caloric intake. Try taking a cayenne pepper supplement of at least 40,000 HU’s (heat units) with meals.
- High-Impact Cardio Activity/Exercise:
Exercise, particularly high-intensity cardio, has the potential to dramatically increase your metabolic rate and stimulate thermogenesis for hours after the exercise is over[5]. During these vigorous activities, your muscles' energy demand surges, and the body starts burning fat for fuel, sparking the production of heat (you guessed it, through our old friend thermogenesis). Plus, regular exercise can increase the amount of brown fat and enhance its activity, further promoting thermogenesis[6].
- 3. Intermittent Fasting Using the 16/8 Rule:
Intermittent fasting, specifically the 16/8 method (16 hours of fasting followed by an 8-hour eating window), has been shown to upregulate thermogenesis. By prolonging the fasting period, the body depletes glucose reserves and is prompted to burn fat for energy, once again triggering heat production[7].
- Get Cold:
Exposure to cold temperatures can activate brown fat to produce heat in order to maintain body temperature[8]. Regular cold showers, swimming in cold water or submerging your body up to your neck in an ice-cold bath, may be extremely uncomfortable, but it is an invigorating way to boost your thermogenic engine. Your brain will do everything to allow you to survive, and when exposed to cold for short durations (a few minutes), your body kicks into survival mode and triggers the hypothalamus into heating your body’s temperature through thermogenesis.
- Reduction of Carbohydrates:
Reducing carbohydrate intake leads the body to rely more heavily on fat for energy, which in turn stimulates thermogenesis[9]. This shift forces the body to prioritize burning fat stores for energy as opposed to glucose from carbs. Your body is designed to take the path of least resistance when it comes to survival, so if you continuously fuel it with carbs, it will happily leave your fat stores bloated and lazy.
Harnessing the power of thermogenesis means embracing a complex dance of biology, lifestyle, and personal choice. By integrating these five steps into your daily routine, you'll be well on your way to unlocking the body's natural furnace, contributing to long-term weight control, and enjoying a healthier life.
About Brad King
Brad King is an award-winning nutritional researcher, performance nutritionist, product formulator and author of 12 book – 3 of which are international bestsellers. He was a guest professor at the Naturopathic Medical college, in Vancouver for 3 years and is recognized as one of Canada’s most sought after authorities on nutrition, obesity, longevity and men’s health.
Brad was inducted into the prestigious Canadian Sports Nutrition Hall of Fame in 2003, awarded with the Best in Canada Award for Health Motivator, Educator and Public Speaker in 2010, and in 2019 was presented with the National Nutrition Hall of Fame Award.
References
[1] Harms, M., & Seale, P. (2013). Brown and beige fat: development, function and therapeutic potential. Nature Medicine, 19(10), 1252-1263.
[2] Cannon, B., & Nedergaard, J. (2004). Brown adipose tissue: function and physiological significance. Physiological Reviews, 84(1), 277-359.
[3] Virtanen, K. A., Lidell, M. E., Orava, J., Heglind, M., Westergren, R., Niemi, T., ... & Nuutila, P. (2009). Functional brown adipose tissue in healthy adults. New England Journal of Medicine, 360(15), 1518-1525.
[4] Ludy, M. J., & Mattes, R. D. (2011). The effects of hedonically acceptable red pepper doses on thermogenesis and appetite. Physiology & Behavior, 102(3-4), 251-258.
[5] Lafontan, M., & Berlan, M. (1993). Fat cell adrenergic receptors and the control of white and brown fat cell function. Journal of Lipid Research, 34(7), 1057-1091.
[6] Stanford, K. I., Middelbeek, R. J., & Goodyear, L. J. (2015). Exercise effects on white adipose tissue: beiging and metabolic adaptations. Diabetes, 64(7), 2361-2368.
[7] Mattson, M. P., Longo, V. D., & Harvie, M. (2017). Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes. Ageing Research Reviews, 39, 46-58.
[8] van der Lans, A. A., Hoeks, J., Brans, B., Vijgen, G. H., Visser, M. G., Vosselman, M. J., ... & Schrauwen, P. (2013). Cold acclimation recruits human brown fat and increases nonshivering thermogenesis. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 123(8), 3395-3403.
[9] Ludwig, D. S., Majzoub, J. A., Al-Zahrani, A., Dallal, G. E., Blanco, I., & Roberts, S. B. (1999). High glycemic index foods, overeating, and obesity. Pediatrics, 103(3), E26-E26.