Biomaterial Database

Brown Adipose Tissue: Activation and Metabolism in Humans. 2023

Imane Hachemi, and Mueez U-Din

Turku PET Center, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a thermogenic organ contributing to non-shivering thermogenesis. BAT becomes active under cold stress via sympathetic nervous system activation. However, recent evidence has suggested that BAT may also be active at thermoneutrality and in a postprandial state. BAT has superior energy dissipation capacity compared to white adipose tissue (WAT) and muscles. Thus, it has been proposed that the recruitment and activation of additional BAT may increase the overall energy-expending capacity in humans, potentially improving current whole-body weight management strategies. Nutrition plays a central role in obesity and weight management. Thus, this review discusses human studies describing BAT hyper-metabolism after dietary interventions. Nutritional agents that can potentially recruit brown adipocytes via the process of BAT-WAT transdifferentiation are also discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009765	Obesity	A status with BODY WEIGHT that is grossly above the recommended standards, usually due to accumulation of excess FATS in the body. The standards may vary with age, sex, genetic or cultural background. In the BODY MASS INDEX, a BMI greater than 30.0 kg/m2 is considered obese, and a BMI greater than 40.0 kg/m2 is considered morbidly obese (MORBID OBESITY).
D002001	Adipose Tissue, Brown	A thermogenic form of adipose tissue composed of BROWN ADIPOCYTES. It is found in newborns of many species including humans, and in hibernating mammals. Brown fat is richly vascularized, innervated, and densely packed with MITOCHONDRIA which can generate heat directly from the stored lipids.	Brown Fat,Hibernating Gland,Brown Adipose Tissue,Fat, Brown,Tissue, Brown Adipose
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D050154	Adiposity	The amount of fat or lipid deposit at a site or an organ in the body, an indicator of body fat status.
D052436	Adipose Tissue, White	Fatty tissue composed of WHITE ADIPOCYTES and generally found directly under the skin (SUBCUTANEOUS FAT) and around the internal organs (ABDOMINAL FAT). It has less vascularization and less coloration than the BROWN FAT. White fat provides heat insulation, mechanical cushion, and source of energy.	White Fat,White Adipose Tissue,Fat, White,Tissue, White Adipose
D022722	Thermogenesis	The generation of heat in order to maintain body temperature. The uncoupled oxidation of fatty acids contained within brown adipose tissue and SHIVERING are examples of thermogenesis in MAMMALS.	Heat Production,Adaptive Thermogenesis,Facultative Thermogenesis,Nonshivering Thermogenesis,Production, Heat,Thermogeneses,Thermogenesis, Adaptive,Thermogenesis, Facultative,Thermogenesis, Nonshivering