Shiver Your Way to Better Health
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XiXinXing/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — No one likes to shiver but it’s been next to impossible not to for many Americans during this colder than usual winter.
However, there is a silver lining to shivering, according to a study by the National Institutes of Health. When your body reacts to freezing temperatures, it’s also burning calories by converting bad white fat into healthier brown fat.
NIH researchers say that white fat is detrimental because it winds up storing calories. However, brown fat that’s activated can burn up to 300 calories daily.
It wasn’t until recently that scientists learned that brown fat, which was thought to be lost during infancy, is also found in adults and those with more of it are thinner than people who don’t have as much.
Endocrinologist Dr. Paul Lee remarks, “We speculate exercise could be mimicking shivering — because there is muscle contraction during both processes.”
Naturally, it’s not going to be cold forever so instead of shivering, Lee recommends moderate exercise instead.
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio