Exercise Effects on White Adipose Tissue: Beiging and Metabolic Adaptations

Abstract

Regular physical activity and exercise training have long been known to cause adaptations to white adipose tissue (WAT), including decreases in cell size and lipid content and increases in mitochondrial proteins. In this article, we discuss recent studies that have investigated the effects of exercise training on mitochondrial function, the “beiging” of WAT, regulation of adipokines, metabolic effects of trained adipose tissue on systemic metabolism, and depot-specific responses to exercise training. The major WAT depots in the body are found in the visceral cavity (vWAT) and subcutaneously (scWAT). In rodent models, exercise training increases mitochondrial biogenesis and activity in both these adipose tissue depots. Exercise training also increases expression of the brown adipocyte marker uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in both adipose tissue depots, although these effects are much more pronounced in scWAT. Consistent with the increase in UCP1, exercise training increases the presence of brown-like adipocytes in scWAT, also known as browning or beiging. Training results in changes in the gene expression of thousands of scWAT genes and an altered adipokine profile in both scWAT and vWAT. Transplantation of trained scWAT in sedentary recipient mice results in striking improvements in skeletal muscle glucose uptake and whole-body metabolic homeostasis. Human and rodent exercise studies have indicated that exercise training can alter circulating adipokine concentration as well as adipokine expression in adipose tissue. Thus, the profound changes to WAT in response to exercise training may be part of the mechanism by which exercise improves whole-body metabolic health.

Painful knee but not hand osteoarthritis is an independent predictor of mortality over 23 years follow-up of a population-based cohort of middle-aged women

“…Women with KOA have higher levels of markers of atherosclerosis 41. PA is also an important mediator of this inflammatory response42 and inactivity linked with painful KOA might accelerated metabolic dysregulation 43 44. The pain in KOA fluctuates28 and people commonly limit the activities associated with their symptoms and perceive PA to lead to the disease progression 45 46.…”

Sorting out adipocyte precursors and their role in physiology and disease

“…A great number of pharmacological and physiological stimuli can trigger beige adipocyte accumulation in rodents and humans beyond cold exposure, including cancer cachexia, gastric bypass, exercise, and burn trauma (Kir et al 2014;Neinast et al 2015;Sidossis et al 2015;Stanford et al 2015). Great progress has been made in elucidating the transcriptional machinery and signaling cascades driving brown and beige adipocyte accumulation; however, in most cases, the actual cellular origin of the UCP1 + adipocytes accumulating under physiological conditions or in genetic models has remained unclear.…”

Is human white adipose tissue bright during exercise?

“…However, in some cytokines (e.g., IL-6 and TNF-a, among others) derived from adipose tissue or skeletal muscle, various nutrients and metabolites can induce browning (5,6). Although it seems reasonable to increase thermogenesis during cold exposure, it may seem counterintuitive to increase thermogenesis under conditions such as exercise and metabolic stress.…”