More and more scientists and supplement manufacturers are realizing that weight loss or fat burning supplements are associated with thermogenesis. They have also gathered more knowledge about the causes of obesity. In particular they have studied how brown adipose tissue - which is tissue composed of animal fat - are related to obesity. This knowledge is vital in combating obesity which we have more than enough of in our part of the world. Now, what is thermogenesis? According to The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary it is

"Generation or production of heat, especially by physiological processes"

and according to Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary it is

"the production of heat especially in the body"

So, what has the body's production of heat to do with animal fat and weight loss? Well, our bodies have three types of thermogenic processes;

Exercise induced heat production. Our muscles create heat as they work because they function much better when warm.

Body temperature regulation. Shivering when you get cold is an example of this type of thermogenesis.

Now, what the manufacturers of weight loss supplements are most interested in is the third type of thermogenesis and this is the thermogenic process induced by diets. How does this process work? When we consume food, the energy it takes to digest the food comes from our brown adipose tissue or fat. This fat is located around blood vessels and major organs, and warms up the blood as it is stimulated. More and more scientists now believe that the activity of adipose tissue is a vital component of obesity. Research has shown that obese people have much less brown fat activity, and thus less energy burned by thermogenesis which in it's turn can cause weight gain problems.

What weight loss supplements tries to do is activate the brown fat without any food consumption. This way the brown fat will instead use up calories from white fatty tissue with decreased size of fat cells as a result. The battle against obesity will in many cases be won when the supplements can handle this process perfectly.