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Brown fat promotes cardiometabolic health

Nature Reviews Cardiology volume 18, page 231 (2021)Cite this article

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Thermogenic brown adipose tissue (BAT) is associated with a lower prevalence of cardiometabolic disease in humans, particularly in individuals who are overweight or obese, according to a retrospective cohort study. Cold-activated BAT is associated with increased energy expenditure and improved disposal of glucose and free fatty acids. Researchers analysed 134,529 PET–CT scans from 52,487 patients that were performed for indications relating to cancer diagnosis, treatment or surveillance. The individuals were categorized according to the presence or absence of BAT. The presence of BAT independently correlated with a lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, coronary artery disease, heart failure and hypertension. Of note, a lower prevalence of cardiometabolic disease was observed in individuals with obesity and BAT than in individuals with obesity without BAT. Given the global obesity crisis, potentially targeting BAT to promote cardiometabolic health is intriguing.

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  1. Nature Reviews Cardiology http://www.nature.com/nrcardio/

    Gregory B. Lim

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  1. Gregory B. Lim
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Correspondence to Gregory B. Lim.

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Lim, G.B. Brown fat promotes cardiometabolic health. Nat Rev Cardiol 18, 231 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-021-00508-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-021-00508-5

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