A small patch of tissue in your neck can burn five hundred calories a day without exercise

Health
A small patch of tissue in your neck can burn five hundred calories a day without exercise

Deep within your neck lies a specialized type of tissue that acts as a natural furnace, capable of burning through an entire meal's worth of calories without you lifting a finger.

Known as brown adipose tissue or 'brown fat', this biological heater contains a protein called UCP1 that converts energy directly into heat rather than storing it. While infants rely on this tissue to stay warm, adults retain about 50 to 100 grams primarily around the neck and spine. When activated by cold temperatures, this small patch of tissue can burn between 200 and 500 calories a day.

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