Abstract
Purpose
While brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity is known to be associated with both muscle and adipose tissue volumes, the association between BAT and muscle composition remains unclear, especially in adults. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the association between BAT parameters (glucose uptake and fat-fraction) and muscle volumes and intramuscular adipose tissue contents among healthy young and middle-aged men.
Methods
BAT glucose uptake was determined using positron emission tomography with [18F]-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) during cold exposure in 19 young and middle-aged men (36.3 ± 10.7 years). The fat-fraction of BAT was determined from volumes of interest set in cervical and supraclavicular adipose tissue depots using signal fat-fraction maps via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Muscle volumes and intramuscular adipose tissue contents of m. tibialis anterior and m. multifidus lumborum were measured using MRI.
Results
The fat-fraction of BAT was significantly associated with intramuscular adipose tissue content in m. tibialis anterior (n = 13, rs = 0.691, P = 0.009). A similar trend was also observed in m. multifidus lumborum (n = 19, rs = 0.454, P = 0.051). However, BAT glucose uptake was not associated with intramuscular adipose tissue contents in both muscles, nor were muscle volumes associated with the BAT glucose uptake and fat-fraction.
Conclusion
The fat-fraction of BAT increases with skeletal muscle adiposity, especially in the lower leg, among healthy young and middle-aged men.
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Change history
23 October 2021
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-021-04830-1
Abbreviations
- BAT :
-
Brown adipose tissue
- MRI :
-
Magnetic resonance imaging
- PET :
-
Positron emission tomography
- UCP-1 :
-
Uncoupling protein-1
- 18 F -FDG :
-
[18F]-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose
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Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully thank the volunteers who participated as subjects, as well as the radiographers and staff who cared for the subjects.
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The study was conducted at the Finnish Centre of Excellence in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases and supported by the Academy of Finland, University of Turku, Turku University Hospital and Åbo Akademi University. This study was supported in part by the Overseas Challenge Program for Young Researchers and Grant-in-Aid provided by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Research Fellow (to MO).
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This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the ethics committee of the Hospital District of Southwest Finland
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Communicated by Klaas R westerterp.
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The original online version of this article was revised: In Table 2, Multifidus lumborum column was mistakenly included.
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Ogawa, M., Koskensalo, K., Laurila, S. et al. Brown adipose tissue fat-fraction is associated with skeletal muscle adiposity. Eur J Appl Physiol 122, 81–90 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-021-04816-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-021-04816-z