From the Archives: At birth, human infants have the highest percentage of body fat of any species. Here’s why.
“Aw, you still have your baby fat!” This refrain plagued me throughout my childhood. No matter what I did, I couldn’t shake my “baby fat.” I was not a particularly overweight child. I just seemed to maintain the round cheeks and pudgy tummy that most of my friends shed early on. “Oh, sweetheart, don’t worry,” my mother would say, “it will keep you warm. Just a little added insulation.” She wasn’t even half right.
Most of the fat animal babies we think of—seal pups, piglets, and puppies—gain much of their fat after birth. This is true for all of our fellow mammals, whether they are much smaller than us or much larger. But human babies keep on gaining fat too. Infant fatness peaks between 4 and 9 months of age at about 25 percent before it begins a long slow decline.
There are actually two kinds of fat: white fat, the normal fat we all know and love, and brown fat, also known as “brown adipose tissue,” or BAT. BAT is a special kind of fat that’s present in all neonatal mammals and is especially important in humans, who are unable to raise their body temperature through shivering. BAT generates heat by burning white fat and serves as a baby’s internal “furnace.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Kim Kardashian shares drastically reduced body fat percentage after Met Gala dietKardashian’s body transformation comes three months after she was slammed for dropping 16 pounds in three weeks to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s dress.
Read more »
Parenting, Baby Names, Celebrities, and Royal News | CafeMom.com
Read more »
Why Did Kim Kardashian Just Tell Us Her Body Fat Percentage?In the immortal words of her sister, Kourtney: 'Kim, there’s people that are dying.'
Read more »
Exercise Secrets To Lose That Top Layer of Belly Fat, Trainer Reveals — Eat This Not ThatWith hard work, dedication, and these exercise secrets on your side, you'll be taking the necessary steps to lose that top layer of belly fat.
Read more »
Brown-fat-mediated tumour suppression by cold-altered global metabolism - NatureMild cold exposure activates a substantial amount of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in a patient with cancer, reducing tumour-associated glucose uptake, and activation of BAT in mice inhibits the growth of tumours by decreasing blood glucose and impeding glycolysis-based metabolism in cancer cells.
Read more »
Mom claims ‘cat is plotting to kill my baby’ with freaky photobombsA mom captured the moment her jealous kitty plotted “to kill” her newborn baby.
Read more »