Brown adipose tissue is associated with healthier body fat distribution and metabolic benefits independent of regional adiposity

• Published in: Cell reports. Medicine Vol. 2; no. 7; p. 100332
• Main Authors: Wibmer, Andreas G., Becher, Tobias, Eljalby, Mahmoud, Crane, Audrey, Andrieu, Pamela Causa, Jiang, Caroline S., Vaughan, Roger, Schöder, Heiko, Cohen, Paul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 20.07.2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adipose Tissue, Brown - diagnostic imaging; Adipose Tissue, Brown - physiology; Adiposity - physiology; Body Fat Distribution; brown adipose tissue; brown fat; Cohort Studies; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - diagnostic imaging; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - pathology; Fatty Liver - complications; Fatty Liver - diagnostic imaging; Female; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; glucose metabolism; hepatic steatosis; Humans; lipid metabolism; Liver - diagnostic imaging; Liver - pathology; Male; metabolic health; Metabolome; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; subcutaneous fat; type 2 diabetes mellitus; visceral fat; visceral obesity; metabolic health; brown adipose tissue; brown fat; subcutaneous fat; lipid metabolism; type 2 diabetes mellitus; visceral obesity; visceral fat; glucose metabolism; hepatic steatosis
• ISSN: 2666-3791; 2666-3791
• DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2021.100332

The association of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and body fat distribution and their combined effects on metabolic health in humans remains unknown. Here, we retrospectively identify individuals with and without BAT on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and assemble a propensity score-matched study cohort to compare body fat distribution and determine its role in mediating the benefits of brown fat. We find that BAT is associated with lower amounts of visceral adipose tissue and higher amounts of subcutaneous adipose tissue, resulting in less central obesity. In addition, BAT is independently associated with lower blood glucose and white blood cell count, improved lipids, lower prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and decreased liver fat accumulation. These observations are most prominent in individuals with central obesity. Our results support a role of BAT in protection from visceral adiposity and improved metabolic health. [Display omitted] Brown adipose tissue is associated with more subcutaneous and less visceral fatBrown adipose tissue is associated with health independent of fat distributionBrown adipose tissue is associated with less liver fat and type 2 diabetesBrown adipose tissue is most beneficial in individuals with central obesity Wibmer et al. report that brown adipose tissue is associated with a healthier body fat distribution and less central obesity and also associated independently with surrogate parameters of metabolic health and decreased liver fat accumulation. These observations are most prominent in individuals with central obesity.