The evidence is convergent. Multiple independent sources reach the same conclusion, the underlying mechanism is well-characterized, and even the field's most cautious voices treat it as worth doing.
So the more eloquent way to do it, or elegant, I guess, way to do it is to basically have your mitochondria produce tons and tons of heat. So the way it does this is by activating a gene called UCP1, uncoupling protein 1.
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shivering is a very inefficient way to produce heat, which is what your body's trying to do when it's exposed to cold, and your muscles are basically contracting and producing heat from that, but that's just not very efficient.
Shivering is a very inefficient way to produce heat, which is what your body is trying to do when it's exposed to cold. And your muscles are basically contracting and and and um and producing heat from that, but that's just not very efficient. So, uh the the more eloquent way to do it or elegant, I guess, uh way to do it is, you know, to basically have your mitochondria produce tons and tons of heat. So, mitochondria are these little organels inside of your cells that are responsible for producing energy. Usually that's in the form of adenosine triphosphate ATP and that's what lets everything function inside your body from your neurotransmitter production to your heart beating etc. Basically your mitochondria um they're like a little battery. So they have a they have well they have a double membrane first of all their structure but they have a negative charge on the inside and they have a positive charge on the inner membrane. Basically you can uncouple that that charge and so that positive charge protons start leaking out of the mitochondria and your mitochondria freak out. So this is called uncoupling it. And they start to it's maximum respiration as we call it. They try to make as much energy. They're like I got to get those that that that proton back that gradient the electrochemical gradient. And so they just go insane and they um in this case it's uncoupled energy. So the energy they're making is actually heat not ATP. Uh [snorts] but heat is but you're essentially burning substrate. So who cares? You're burning you're burning glucose. You're burning your lipids. you know, you're you're basically burning things and making heat. And so, um, that's what uncoupling does. And that is a much more efficient way of producing heat than shivering.
Little bit later, shivering stops, non shivering thermogenesis kicks in, up regulation happens, you see if you're 1. Now, I'm just using electron leaks through mitochondria and suddenly, I'm not producing my ATP, I'm just producing 100% heat. What's the cell used to do that? It's grabbing the most energy-dense fuel, and it's using lipids to do it.