brown fat
noun
: a mammalian heat-producing tissue occurring especially in human fetuses and newborn infants and in hibernating animals
called also brown adipose tissue
Examples of brown fat in a Sentence
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These cells arise within white fat depots under certain conditions – such as cold exposure or specific hormonal signals – and acquires some of the heat-producing properties of brown fat.
—
Claudio Villanueva, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2026
One 2014 study published in the journal Diabetes found that the resting metabolic rate in healthy people with detectable levels of brown fat increased by 14% after cold exposure, though most estimates hover around five to 11%, according to Dada.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 15 Jan. 2026
In 2021 Paul Cohen, an associate professor at Rockefeller University who studies obesity, published a paper showing that people with more brown fat were less likely to have type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease and high blood pressure.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 15 Jan. 2026
It's even being studied as a promising obesity treatment, where it was shown to boost brown fat burn and encourage white fat to turn brown in mice.
—New Atlas, 16 Nov. 2025
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Claudio Villanueva, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2026
One 2014 study published in the journal Diabetes found that the resting metabolic rate in healthy people with detectable levels of brown fat increased by 14% after cold exposure, though most estimates hover around five to 11%, according to Dada.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 15 Jan. 2026
In 2021 Paul Cohen, an associate professor at Rockefeller University who studies obesity, published a paper showing that people with more brown fat were less likely to have type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease and high blood pressure.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 15 Jan. 2026
It's even being studied as a promising obesity treatment, where it was shown to boost brown fat burn and encourage white fat to turn brown in mice.
—New Atlas, 16 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brown fat
Cite this Entry
“Brown fat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brown%20fat. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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