Month: October 2014

Body fat can burn more calories in colder temperatures, a study has found. The study examined belly fat in 55 people. Samples were taken in the summer and winter. Belly fat is generally considered to be white fat, which does not burn many calories. But the winter belly fat behaved more like brown fat, which burns calories at a higher rate. Babies have high levels of brown fat, which is believed to help keep them warm. The study also had people put ice packs on their thighs for 30 minutes. The fat underneath the ice pack was then examined. It was expressing genes that are active in brown fat, but not white fat. These effects were limited in obese people, however. Researchers are interested in finding other ways to make white fat behave more like brown fat. This could lead to treatments for obesity, or prevention strategies. The study was published Oct.

Women with a healthy lifestyle are half as likely to have a stroke, says research from Sweden. The study included more than 31,000 women. Their average age was 60. The women answered 350 survey questions. They were then followed for an average of 10 years. During that time, there were 1,554 strokes. The researchers looked at the lifestyle factors of the women who had a stroke. They compared them with factors of women who did not. They found that just 5 factors could help to predict stroke risk: not smoking, eating a healthy diet, moderating alcohol intake, being physically active, and having a body-mass index in the normal-weight range. Women with even one of these factors were 23% less likely to have a stroke, compared with women who had none. Women with all 5 factors were 54% less likely to have a stroke. Less than 2% of women had all 5 factors. The study was published Oct.