Symposium 10: Exercise-mediated browning of white adipose tissue: its importance, mechanism, and efficacy

Abstract

Mammalian adipose tissue was classified as white (WAT) and brown (BAT) according to its morphology and function; WAT is used for energy storage, while BAT is a heat generator that maintains core body temperature and helps prevent obesity. This heat generation is through mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). It has been suggested, in recent years, that there are two distinct types of brown fat: (1) classically derived from a myf-5 cell lineage and (2) UCP1-positive cells emerging in white fat from a non-myf lineage. -5. It was believed that in humans, BAT was only present from birth to 10 years of age and that BAT and WAT were 2 separate types. But positive cells for UCP1 were found which were named Beige or Brite (BeAT); BeAT resembles BAT in morphology and function, but its development is more closely related to WAT. The synthesis of BeAT, the so-called browning of white fat, has become a topical issue in research on diabetes, obesity, physical exercise, etc. This is due to its favorable effect on the energy metabolism of the whole body and the fact that it can be recruited during adult life. Both BAT and BeAT were shown to be involved in glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, and lipid metabolism, all factors related to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes.