title: Brown adipose tissue activity after a high-calorie meal in humans.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies in rodents have shown that brown adipose tissue (BAT) is activated on food intake, thereby reducing metabolic efficiency.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The current study investigated whether a single high-calorie, carbohydrate-rich meal activates BAT in lean human adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  BAT activity was studied in 11 lean adult men [age: 23.6 ± 2.1 y; body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)): 22.4 ± 2.1] after consumption of a high-calorie, carbohydrate-rich meal (1622 ± 222 kcal; 78% carbohydrate, 12% protein, 10% fat). BAT activity during 2 h of mild cold exposure served as a positive control experiment. BAT activity was assessed by [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography-computed tomography. Energy expenditure was measured by indirect calorimetry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postprandial [(18)F]FDG uptake was significantly higher in BAT [1.65 ± 0.99 mean standard uptake value (SUVmean)] than in subcutaneous (0.35 ± 0.15 SUVmean; P < 0.05) and visceral (0.49 ± 0.24 SUVmean; P < 0.05) white adipose tissue and liver (0.95 ± 0.28 SUVmean; P < 0.05). Postprandial BAT activity was lower than cold-induced BAT activity (7.19 ± 2.09 SUVmean). However, postprandial BAT activity may have been underestimated because of high postprandial [(18)F]FDG uptake in skeletal muscle compared with cold (1.36 ± 0.31 compared with 0.59 ± 0.07 SUVmean, P < 0.05), which reduces [(18)F]FDG bioavailability for BAT and other tissues. No direct relation was found between BAT and diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Glucose uptake in BAT increases after a meal in humans, which indicates a role for BAT in reducing metabolic efficiency. However, the quantitative contribution of BAT to DIT relative to other tissues, such as skeletal muscle, remains to be investigated. This trial was registered at www.controlled-trials.com as ISRCTN21413505.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biology, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Center+ Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maarten J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Vosselman
authors.forename: Boudewijn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brans
authors.forename: Anouk A J J
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: van der Lans
authors.forename: Roel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wierts
authors.forename: Marleen A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: van Baak
authors.forename: Felix M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Mottaghy
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schrauwen
authors.forename: Wouter D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: van Marken Lichtenbelt
mesh_terms: D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000378:metabolism*; D052436:Adipose Tissue, White / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002153:Calorimetry, Indirect; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002149:Energy Intake; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D062407:Meals; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000379:methods; D009426:Netherlands; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019518:Postprandial Period; D022722:Thermogenesis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose