Here’s the skinny on the best kind of body fat.

You are likely familiar with white fat, the most common type of fat found in our bodies. White fat stores energy and provides protection, but too much of it can increase the risk of health problems like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, often visible in areas like the abdomen and thighs.

In contrast, brown fat is lesser-known but considered a more beneficial type of fat. It generates heat by burning calories, especially in response to cold temperatures, and plays a role in regulating metabolism.

Scientists from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School say brown fat can also enhance exercise performance and promote longevity.

According to researchers in the journal Aging, they believe that brown fat may offer protection against various conditions such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and decreased exercise capacity.

Unfortunately, we don’t have much brown fat — and we can’t really make more.

At birth, our brown fat is concentrated in our back, neck and shoulders. As we age, those cells dissipate and disperse to small deposits around our neck, kidneys, adrenal glands, heart and chest area.

Lean people tend to have more brown fat than people who are overweight.

We can activate the brown fat we’ve got with a cold shower or an ice bath. Spicy foods, green tea and apples have also shown potential.

Exercise signals our brown fat to burn more calories because physical activity stimulates our sympathetic nervous system — also known as our “fight-or-flight” response.

One study found that brown fat activity rose among rodents that ran on a treadmill for six to eight weeks.

The Rutgers scientists noted that much of the research on this topic focuses on exercise regulating brown fat and not the other way around.

They highlighted a study that involved transplanting brown fat from genetically modified mice into regular mice. The recipients had better running endurance just three days after the transplant.

Brown fat from non-modified mice took much longer to yield similar results.

The Rutgers researchers said brown fat may also help combat age-related muscle loss, fatigue and metabolism declines by enhancing blood circulation and reducing cellular stress.

They suggest developing treatments that mimic the benefits of brown fat to improve energy, weight maintenance and heart health.