Cold‐Activated Brown Adipose Tissue is Associated with Less Cardiometabolic Dysfunction in Young Adults with Obesity

Objective This study aimed to test the hypothesis that young adults with obesity and cold‐activated brown adipose tissue (BAT) are less likely to have metabolic dysfunction (dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and hypertension) than those without cold‐activated BAT. Previous studies have noted a poten...

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Published inObesity (Silver Spring, Md.) Vol. 28; no. 5; pp. 916 - 923
Main Authors Mihalopoulos, Nicole L., Yap, Jeffrey T., Beardmore, Britney, Holubkov, Richard, Nanjee, M. Nazeem, Hoffman, John M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.05.2020
Subjects
Adipose Tissue, Brown - metabolism
Adolescent
Adult
Body fat
Cardiovascular Diseases - physiopathology
Cold
Female
Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 - therapeutic use
Humans
Insulin resistance
Lipids
Male
Medical imaging
Obesity - physiopathology
Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography - methods
Young Adult
United States > US
Massachusetts
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Summary:Objective This study aimed to test the hypothesis that young adults with obesity and cold‐activated brown adipose tissue (BAT) are less likely to have metabolic dysfunction (dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and hypertension) than those without cold‐activated BAT. Previous studies have noted a potentially protective effect of BAT and higher adiponectin/leptin ratios, but they have acknowledged that the clinical implications of these findings remain uncertain. Methods Twenty‐one females and twenty‐three males with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) underwent a 2‐hour cooling protocol before 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose (18F‐FDG)‐positron emission tomography/x‐ray computed tomography scan to determine the prevalence, volume, and 18F‐FDG uptake of cold‐activated BAT. Results Cold‐activated BAT was identified in 43% of participants (11 female, 8 male); females had greater 18F‐FDG uptake. Those with cold‐activated BAT had a lesser degree of metabolic dysfunction. Cold‐activated BAT volume correlated with triglycerides (inversely) and adiponectin (concordantly). Body‐mass‐adjusted cold‐activated BAT activity correlated with high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (concordantly). Males with cold‐activated BAT had lower leptin and higher adiponectin/leptin ratio. Conclusions A high prevalence of cold‐activated BAT was found in the study participants. BAT could be important in decreasing metabolic dysfunction among young adults with obesity, making it a potential target for treating metabolically unhealthy obesity.
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Conflict of Interest Disclosures
Dr. Mihalopoulos reports grants from National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute during the conduct of the study.
Dr. Holubkov has nothing to disclose.
Dr. Holubkov performed statistical analyses.
Dr. Nanjee performed laboratory analyses.
Author Contribution Statement
Dr. Yap reports grants from National Institutes of Health during the conduct of the study; grants from National Institutes of Health outside the submitted work.
Ms. Beardmore has nothing to disclose.
Dr. Mihalopoulos conceived of the project and wrote the first draft.
Dr. Nanjee has nothing to disclose.
Dr. Hoffman assured regulatory compliance of the FDG, which was investigational in this situation. He reviewed FDG-PET/CT scans and identified brown adipose tissue.
Dr. Hoffman reports grants from National Institutes of Health during the conduct of the study.
Dr. Yap and Ms. Beardmore performed PET/CT image analysis and data management.
ISSN:1930-7381
1930-739X
DOI:10.1002/oby.22767