Ever get the winter chills and hate living in the cold?  Have you ever wondered why you get more chilled as you get older?  For those of you who have, there's hope. 

Traditionally, brown fat was thought to be the body’s main thermostat that insulated and generated heat to keep the body warm.

 “Our findings demonstrate for the first time that muscle, which accounts for 40 per cent of body weight in humans, can generate heat independent of shivering,” says Muthu Periasamy of Ohio State University in Columbus.

Surviving the chill

Through experiments on mice that had their usual thermostat – brown fat – surgically removed, Periasamy and his colleagues proved that a protein called sarcolipin helps muscle cells keep the body warm by burning energy, almost like an idling motor car, even if the muscles do not contract.

All of the mice had their brown fat removed, but some of them had been genetically engineered to lack sarcolipin too. These...

This week, we had the pleasure of introducing local physicians from the Franciscan Skemp Clinic, now Mayo Clinic, to the science behind properly working out.  It was eye opening to many of the physicians, many of whom were first introduced to this science behind how to properly work out.

Let's review what we've been taught to stay in shape.

• We've been taught that one needs to walk and do aerobic exercise every day for heart health.  We've been taught to walk 10000 steps a day. 
• We've been confused by the stereotype that weight lifting is only for movie stars, or that we will become big and bulky.
• We've accepted that having aches and pains, joint replacements, and diabetes is a fact of life.  

Is what we've been taught working?  Let's review our nation's health.   Obesity rates are the leading cause of preventable death in the US.  Joint replacement is going to triple by 2030, and repeat joint replacements is going to double by 2030.  ...