What is the function of brown fat?
Brown fat is specialized for heat production. In the mitochondria of brown fat, electron transport is uncoupled from oxidative phosphorylation. The energy produced by electron transport is released as heat instead of being used to produce ATP. The large ratio of body surface area to volume in a newborn makes heat conservation an important issue. Much of the brown fat is located around airways or major blood vessels, where it can warm the air or blood.
