Burn calories with fat

Is the world ending? I think I see the sky turning a purple-ish hue. I am happy to announce that a recent study by The New England Journal of Medicine found that mammals have two types of fat: brown and white.

You are familiar with the white stuff. Just turn your T.V. on to Discovery Health or my personal favorite, Dr. 90201 to get a glimpse of the chunky, cottage cheese-like substance. The brown fat, however, is something new, even to me. Doctors originally thought that humans lose this miracle fat after infancy. They were wrong.

The study conducted on rodents found when in a cold environment they are not able to shiver to keep warm. Therefore, the brown fat helped heat them up. The brown stuff was found predominantly along their shoulders and spine.

When I say cold environment I mean 60-66 degrees F. They found that humans have blobs of the stuff all over their body that is activated by the cold. This leads me to the unfortunate portion: thinner people possess more brown fat than overweight individuals.

The skinny can get skinnier simply by their type of fat? That's absurd -- and unfair. The researchers say that the fat really is brown because it is filled with mitochondria -- the tiny energy factories of cells. In that Mitochondria is iron, giving the tissue a reddish brown color.

The hope would be for researchers to find a way to turn on the brown fat in order to help stimulate weight loss. However, studies for this are still in the works. But please don't attempt any self-studies at home by cranking up your A.C. to activate your brown fat. Keep up with your cardio, healthy eating and weightlifting to ensure weight loss success.

Summertime Skin Care

The subject of sunburns, sunscreen and skin care hits home for me. In the last year I was diagnosed twice with skin cancer, melanoma to be specific. On my back, right over my shoulder blade and on my right calf.

Let me back up. I am of mostly German descent and have pale skin with freckles... everywhere. Through out high school and college I thought I was immune to the sun and the UVA and UVB rays (I'll explain the difference later). It was insane because I used to use the tanning oil or a maximum of SPF eight. Yes, I said eight. I paid for it when I went to my annual dermatologist check-up and he found an irregular mole on my back. The mole had been there ever since I could remember, but the biopsy came back and it was melanoma.

I, a 23-year-old have skin cancer?? How is that possible? After the paniced thoughts set in, I scheduled my removal appointment. Now I have a needle-phobia and this would most definitely include needles. Try 34 different pokes. They had to numb my back in order to cut a diamond-shape around the area. The doctor explained that melanoma does not necessarily spread through the skin, but tends to jump around so they recommended cutting 3 mm. out each way to form a diamond, then sew it up. The bizarre thing is my mother had the same mole in the same spot, got it biopsied and it was pre-cancer which means I, 3o years her junior had cancer and she didn't. She used to bake in the sun with baby oil!

Needless to say it's over and I thought NEVER AGAIN. Until there was an again. Second surgery was on my calf and they had to perform the same procedure.

Now, after learning the hard way I am a huge advocate for protecting your skin. Every day I use face moisturizer with SPF 15. If I plan to be in the sun for longer than 15 minutes, I lather myself in SPF 45 or more. I am now protecting myself from the UVA and UVB rays. UVA is the type that causes skin cancer. This type of sun ray will NOT burn your skin. It penetrates deep to release the free radicals on your skin tissue and collagen. UVB causes sun burns and eventual wrinkles. Either way the amount of melanin in your skin determines if you can fight the bad rays or like me, are harmed extensively by them.

Sun isn't the only way to kill your skin cells. Tanning beds are a major culprit. This article discusses the harmful effects of the beds. A recent study about melanoma was conducted finding interesting results: the mutation of certain genes as a result from prolonged sun exposure can cause melanoma.

If you do not care about the risk of cancer (which everyone is at risk) then ladies, think about all the plastic surgery you will need in the future from laying out in the sun. Botox, chemical peels and even face lifts may be a necessary option to remove the wrinkles given to you by the sun.

So please remember to wear your SPF 30 or more this summer at the beach, on a walk outside or even playing in the pool. Your skin will thank you.