RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Temperature-Acclimated Brown Adipose Tissue Modulates Insulin Sensitivity in Humans
JF Diabetes
JO Diabetes
FD American Diabetes Association
SP 3686
OP 3698
DO 10.2337/db14-0513
VO 63
IS 11
A1 Lee, Paul
A1 Smith, Sheila
A1 Linderman, Joyce
A1 Courville, Amber B.
A1 Brychta, Robert J.
A1 Dieckmann, William
A1 Werner, Charlotte D.
A1 Chen, Kong Y.
A1 Celi, Francesco S.
YR 2014
UL http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/63/11/3686.abstract
AB In rodents, brown adipose tissue (BAT) regulates cold- and diet-induced thermogenesis (CIT; DIT). Whether BAT recruitment is reversible and how it impacts on energy metabolism have not been investigated in humans. We examined the effects of temperature acclimation on BAT, energy balance, and substrate metabolism in a prospective crossover study of 4-month duration, consisting of four consecutive blocks of 1-month overnight temperature acclimation (24°C [month 1] → 19°C [month 2] → 24°C [month 3] → 27°C [month 4]) of five healthy men in a temperature-controlled research facility. Sequential monthly acclimation modulated BAT reversibly, boosting and suppressing its abundance and activity in mild cold and warm conditions (P < 0.05), respectively, independent of seasonal fluctuations (P < 0.01). BAT acclimation did not alter CIT but was accompanied by DIT (P < 0.05) and postprandial insulin sensitivity enhancement (P < 0.05), evident only after cold acclimation. Circulating and adipose tissue, but not skeletal muscle, expression levels of leptin and adiponectin displayed reciprocal changes concordant with cold-acclimated insulin sensitization. These results suggest regulatory links between BAT thermal plasticity and glucose metabolism in humans, opening avenues to harnessing BAT for metabolic benefits.