Exercise-induced adaptations to white and brown adipose tissue

Abstract

The beneficial effects of exercise on skeletal muscle and the cardiovascular system have long been known. Recent studies have focused on investigating the effects of exercise on adipose tissue and the effects that these exercise-induced adaptations have on overall metabolic health. Examination of exercise-induced adaptations in both white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) has revealed marked differences in each tissue with exercise. In WAT, there are changes to both subcutaneous WAT (scWAT) and visceral WAT (vWAT), including decreased adipocyte size and lipid content, increased expression of metabolic genes, altered secretion of adipokines and increased mitochondrial activity. Adaptations specific to scWAT include lipidomic remodeling of phospholipids and, in rodents, the beiging of scWAT. The changes to BAT are less clear: studies evaluating the effect of exercise on the BAT of humans and rodents have revealed contradictory data, making this an important area of current investigation. In this Review, we discuss the exerciseinduced changes to WAT and BAT that have been reported by different studies and highlight the current questions in this field.

The expression of brown fat‐associated proteins in colorectal cancer and the relationship of uncoupling protein 1 with prognosis

“…Adipose tissue is a connective tissue that is mainly populated by adipocyte and pre‐adipocyte cells. The vast majority of fat tissue in adult humans is classified as white fat and is involved in many functions such as energy storage, metabolism, insulin sensitivity and inflammation . The other type of fat tissue is known as brown fat which is composed of brown adipocytes that are rich in mitochondrial content thus giving deposits of brown fat their characteristic brownish colour .…”

“…The vast majority of fat tissue in adult humans is classified as white fat and is involved in many functions such as energy storage, metabolism, insulin sensitivity and inflammation . The other type of fat tissue is known as brown fat which is composed of brown adipocytes that are rich in mitochondrial content thus giving deposits of brown fat their characteristic brownish colour . Brown fat is limited to very small depots in the cervical, supraclavicular, axillary and paravertebral areas in adult humans .…”

“…Brown fat is limited to very small depots in the cervical, supraclavicular, axillary and paravertebral areas in adult humans . Brown fat has been primarily implicated in energy expenditure and in diseases such diabetes and obesity …”

“…7 The other type of fat tissue is known as brown fat which is composed of brown adipocytes that are rich in mitochondrial content thus giving deposits of brown fat their characteristic brownish colour. 7 Brown fat is limited to very small depots in the cervical, supraclavicular, axillary and paravertebral areas in adult humans. 8 Brown fat has been primarily implicated in energy expenditure and in diseases such diabetes and obesity.…”

“…8 Brown fat has been primarily implicated in energy expenditure and in diseases such diabetes and obesity. 7 The brown fat phenotype is primarily characterised by the expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). The expression of UCP1 causes a proton leak in the mitochondrial respiratory chain leading to energy dissipation as heat rather than in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), therefore; it is mainly associated with energy expenditure and metabolism.…”