Are there better and worse body-fat types? My son, who is a personal trainer, is constantly nagging me to exercise more. Like the other day, he told me how a little weight training encourages pre-fat cells to become calorie-burning cells rather than useless blubber. Sounds dandy, but I still can’t stand working out. Is there a dietary way to get this benefit?
It’s true that immature fat cells have one of two fates: They can become white blubbery fat that collects on the belly and thighs or they can become metabolically active brown fat that burns calories for energy. You can push your cells to become brown fat by consuming the healthy fatty acid gammalinolenic acid (GLA). This is a building block for chemicals called protaglandins, which drive the fat-cell switch. GLA is found in liquid and pill forms of borage, evening primrose and black currant seed oils. The proven dose is 500 mg to 2,000 mg daily.
