Where is Brown Fat Stored? Your Guide to This 'Good' Body Fat

October 22, 2025 •

4 min read

Unlike white fat, which primarily stores energy, brown adipose tissue (BAT) burns calories to generate heat. This unique function has made it a fascinating subject in health research, with many people wondering, where is brown fat stored?.

Quick Summary

This article explores the specific locations of brown fat in newborns and adults, explaining its crucial role in metabolism and body temperature regulation. It details the physiological differences between brown and white fat and provides actionable strategies to stimulate brown fat activity for improved health.

Key Points

Adult Brown Fat Locations: In adults, brown fat is primarily found in small deposits around the neck, collarbone area (supraclavicular), along the spine (paravertebral), and near the kidneys and chest.
Newborn Brown Fat Locations: Infants possess a much higher proportion of brown fat, located on their upper back, between the shoulders, and around the kidneys, to protect them from cold.
Brown vs. White Fat: Brown fat burns calories to generate heat (thermogenesis), while white fat primarily stores excess energy.
Brown Fat Activation: You can activate your body's brown fat through lifestyle interventions, including regular exposure to cool temperatures and consistent exercise.
Metabolic Benefits: Active brown fat improves metabolic health by burning calories, enhancing insulin sensitivity, and helping to regulate blood sugar levels.
Diet and Brown Fat: Certain foods containing compounds like capsaicin and catechins may help stimulate brown fat activity, though cold exposure is a stronger activator.
Beige Fat: This fat can be converted from white fat through processes like cold exposure and exercise, and it shares the calorie-burning properties of brown fat.

Understanding the Different Types of Fat

Not all body fat is created equal. While white adipose tissue (WAT) stores energy in large lipid droplets, brown adipose tissue (BAT) is packed with mitochondria, which are rich in iron and give it its characteristic brownish color. This high concentration of mitochondria is key to brown fat's function: thermogenesis, or heat production, by burning calories from fat and sugar. A third type, beige or 'brite' fat, is composed of white fat cells that have acquired brown fat-like characteristics in response to certain stimuli, such as cold exposure.

Brown Fat in Newborns vs. Adults

The location and abundance of brown fat change dramatically throughout a person's life. This is due to its primary purpose of non-shivering thermogenesis, a process essential for maintaining body temperature in infants who cannot yet shiver to produce heat.

In Newborns:

Brown fat constitutes a significant portion of a newborn's body weight, approximately 2% to 5%.
It is concentrated in specific areas to protect vital organs from cold.
Primary locations: Upper half of the spine, between the shoulder blades (interscapular), and around the kidneys.

In Adults:

The amount of brown fat decreases significantly with age, though active deposits can still be found.
The deposits in adults are much smaller and are often only detected using specialized imaging techniques like FDG-PET scans.
Primary locations:
- Neck and collarbone (supraclavicular area): A common area where active brown fat is detected.
- Along the spine (paravertebral): Found near the vertebral column.
- Around the kidneys (suprarenal): Acts to protect and warm these organs.
- Near major blood vessels: Including the aorta, to help warm the blood.
- In the chest (mediastinum): Protects the heart from hypothermia.

The Function of Brown Fat: Beyond Just Warmth

While thermogenesis is its most well-known function, brown fat is a key player in metabolic regulation with significant health implications. Its metabolic activity allows it to burn energy more efficiently than white fat, contributing to several health benefits.

Brown fat’s metabolic advantages:

Burns calories: Activated brown fat increases your body's overall energy expenditure, which can help with weight management.
Improves glucose metabolism: By taking up glucose from the bloodstream, active brown fat can improve insulin sensitivity and help regulate blood sugar levels, potentially reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Enhances lipid profile: Activation of brown fat has been linked to improved cholesterol levels, specifically lowering 'bad' LDL cholesterol and potentially increasing 'good' HDL cholesterol.
Maintains thermal balance: It helps prevent hypothermia by rapidly generating heat in cold conditions, making it crucial for survival in infants and hibernating animals.

How to Activate and Increase Brown Fat

Research suggests that adults can activate their existing brown fat and even encourage white fat to convert into beige fat through specific lifestyle changes.

Strategies to boost brown fat activity:

Cold Exposure: Regularly exposing yourself to cool temperatures is one of the most effective ways to activate brown fat. This can be done by:
- Taking cold showers or ice baths for short periods.
- Lowering the thermostat in your home or workspace for a few hours a day.
- Taking walks outside in cool weather, dressed in light layers.
Exercise: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and other forms of exercise have been shown to increase levels of the hormone irisin, which promotes the 'browning' of white fat.
Dietary Factors: Certain foods and nutrients may play a role in activating brown fat.
- Capsaicin: Found in chili peppers, capsaicin can stimulate thermogenesis.
- Green Tea: Compounds called catechins in green tea can enhance brown fat function.
- Iron-Rich Foods: Since brown fat is rich in iron, a diet that includes iron-rich foods like leafy greens, beans, and lean meats can support its function.
- Resveratrol: This compound, found in grapes and berries, has shown potential in activating brown fat.
Sleep Quality: Getting adequate, high-quality sleep is essential for overall metabolic health and can positively influence brown fat function.
Stress Management: Chronic stress can negatively impact metabolism and brown fat function, so managing stress through techniques like meditation is beneficial.

Comparison of Brown Fat vs. White Fat


Feature	Brown Fat (BAT)	White Fat (WAT)
Primary Function	Burns calories to generate heat (thermogenesis)	Stores energy for future use
Appearance	Brownish, due to numerous iron-rich mitochondria	White or pale yellow
Mitochondria	High concentration	Low concentration
Lipid Droplets	Numerous, smaller droplets	Single, large droplet
Blood Supply	Highly vascularized	Less vascularized
Nerve Supply	Richly innervated by the sympathetic nervous system	Less innervated
Location (Adults)	Neck, collarbone, spine, kidneys, mediastinum	Thighs, hips, belly (visceral and subcutaneous)
Location (Infants)	Upper spine, shoulder blades, kidneys	Throughout the body

Conclusion

Brown fat, a metabolically active tissue, is stored in specific locations within the body, with distinct distributions in newborns and adults. In infants, its prominent role is to prevent hypothermia, while in adults, even small amounts of active brown fat can offer significant metabolic benefits, including improved calorie burning and enhanced insulin sensitivity. By understanding where is brown fat stored and how it functions, individuals can adopt lifestyle habits like cold exposure, regular exercise, and a healthy diet to activate this 'good' fat. This targeted approach can be a valuable tool in promoting weight management and overall metabolic health, complementing other healthy lifestyle choices. As research continues to uncover brown fat's full potential, it remains an exciting area for future therapeutic strategies against obesity and related metabolic disorders.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main function of brown fat is to burn calories and generate heat in a process called thermogenesis. This helps regulate body temperature, especially in response to cold conditions, without shivering.

Yes, while the amount of brown fat typically decreases with age, adults can stimulate its activity and even induce the 'browning' of white fat into beige fat. This can be achieved through regular cold exposure and exercise.

Exercise, particularly high-intensity interval training (HIIT), can trigger the release of the hormone irisin, which helps convert white fat into beige fat. This beige fat then acts like brown fat, burning calories to produce heat.

Yes, because brown fat burns calories to produce heat, having more active brown fat can increase your body's overall energy expenditure. This can contribute to weight management and has been linked to a leaner physique.

White fat stores energy in a single, large lipid droplet, while brown fat is packed with numerous smaller lipid droplets and mitochondria. Brown fat burns calories for heat, whereas white fat's primary function is energy storage.

No, you do not have to shiver to activate brown fat. Mild cold exposure, such as spending time in a cool room, is sufficient to trigger brown fat activity. Shivering is a more intense response that occurs when your body needs a greater amount of heat.

While diet's effects are less potent than cold exposure, certain foods may help. Compounds like capsaicin in chili peppers, catechins in green tea, and resveratrol in fruits have been suggested to support brown fat function.