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Differences in the metabolic status of healthy adults with and without active brown adipose tissue

Unterschiede im Stoffwechselstatus gesunder Erwachsener mit und ohne aktivem braunem Fettgewebe

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An Erratum to this article was published on 21 March 2014

Summary

Background

Previous studies have proven the existence of active brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adults; however, its effect on systematic metabolism remains unclear.

Aim

The current study was designed to investigate the differences in the metabolic profiles of healthy adults with and without active BAT using positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET-CT) scans in the un-stimulated state.

Methods

A cross-sectional analysis was performed to assess the health of adults using PET-CT whole-body scans at Huashan Hospital Medical Centre between November 2009 and May 2010. A total of 62 healthy adults with active BAT were enrolled in the BAT-positive group. For each positive subject, a same-gender individual who underwent PET-CT the same day and who had no detectable BAT was chosen as the negative control. Body composition was measured, and blood samples were collected for assays of metabolic profiles and other biomarkers.

Results

In both the male and female groups, BAT-positive individuals were younger and had lower body mass indexes, fasting insulin, insulin resistance, and leptin, but a greater level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared with the negative controls. In the male group, body fat content and levels of tumor necrosis factor-α were significantly lower in the BAT-positive than in the negative control group.

Conclusions

The healthy adults with active BAT in an un-stimulated state had favorable metabolic profiles suggesting that active BAT may be a potential target for preventing and treating obesity and other metabolic disorders.

Zusammenfassung

Grundlagen

Frühere Studien haben die Existenz von aktivem braunem Fettgewebe (BAT) bei Erwachsenen nachgewiesen. Die Wirkung dieses Gewebes auf den systemischen Stoffwechsel bleibt allerdings unklar.

Ziel

Die vorliegende Studie plante zu erforschen, ob ein Unterschied in den Stoffwechselprofilen gesunder Erwachsener mit beziehungsweise ohne BAT besteht, wobei PET-CT Scans im nicht stimulierten Zustand verwendet wurden.

Methodik

Am Huashan Hospital Medical Center wurde zwischen November 2009 und Mai 2010 eine horizontale Analyse durchgeführt, um die Gesundheit von Erwachsenen zu erfassen, wobei PET-CT Ganzkörper Scans zur Verwendung gelangten. Insgesamt wurden 62 gesunde Erwachsene mit aktivem BAT in die BAT positive Gruppe aufgenommen. Für jede positiv getestete Person wurde als negative Kontrolle eine Person gleichen Geschlechts ausgewählt, die am selben Tag eine PET-CT Untersuchung hatte und bei der kein aktives BAT nachgewiesen werden konnte. Die Körperzusammensetzung wurde gemessen und Blutproben zur Bestimmung von Stoffwechselprofilen und anderer Bio-Marker wurden abgenommen.

Ergebnisse

Sowohl die männlichen als auch die weiblichen BAT positiven Individuen waren jünger und hatten einen geringeren BMI, ein niedrigeres Nüchtern-Insulin, niedrigere Insulinresistenz und Leptin. Nur das HDL-Cholesterin war im Vergleich zur BAT negativen Gruppe erhöht. Bei den BAT positiven Männern war der Körperfettgehalt und die Konzentration von Tumornekrosefaktor-alpha (TNF alpha) signifikant niedriger als bei den BAT negativen Kontrollen.

Schlussfolgerungen

Die gesunden Erwachsenen mit aktivem BAT hatten im nicht-stimulierten Zustand ein günstigeres Stoffwechselprofil. Dies legt nahe, dass das aktive BAT ein mögliches Zielorgan bei der Vorbeugung und Behandlung der Adipositas und anderer Stoffwechselerkrankungen sein könnte.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the staff of PET Center (Huashan Hospital) for their help in performing the study, the staff from Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and the Center of Laboratory Medicine (Huashan Hospital) for their technical assistance, and the subjects for their participation in the study.

Conflict of interest

No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 12 Wulumuqi Middle Road, 200040, Shanghai, China

    Qiongyue Zhang, Hongying Ye, Qing Miao, Zhaoyun Zhang, Yi Wang, Xiaoming Zhu, Shuo Zhang, Ruidan Xue, Meifang Zeng & Yiming Li

  2. PET Center, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 518 Wuzhong East Road, 200235, Shanghai, China

    Chuantao Zuo, Zhengwei Zhang, Zhemin Huang & Yihui Guan

  3. The Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Ministry of Education and Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

    Haiyan Huang & Qiqun Tang

  4. The Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Wanzhu Jin

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  1. Qiongyue Zhang
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Correspondence to Yiming Li.

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Zhang, Q., Ye, H., Miao, Q. et al. Differences in the metabolic status of healthy adults with and without active brown adipose tissue. Wien Klin Wochenschr 125, 687–695 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-013-0431-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-013-0431-2

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