title: Differences in the metabolic status of healthy adults with and without active brown adipose tissue.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have proven the existence of active brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adults; however, its effect on systematic metabolism remains unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The current study was designed to investigate the differences in the metabolic profiles of healthy adults with and without active BAT using positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scans in the un-stimulated state.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional analysis was performed to assess the health of adults using PET-CT whole-body scans at Huashan Hospital Medical Centre between November 2009 and May 2010. A total of 62 healthy adults with active BAT were enrolled in the BAT-positive group. For each positive subject, a same-gender individual who underwent PET-CT the same day and who had no detectable BAT was chosen as the negative control. Body composition was measured, and blood samples were collected for assays of metabolic profiles and other biomarkers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In both the male and female groups, BAT-positive individuals were younger and had lower body mass indexes, fasting insulin, insulin resistance, and leptin, but a greater level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared with the negative controls. In the male group, body fat content and levels of tumor necrosis factor-α were significantly lower in the BAT-positive than in the negative control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The healthy adults with active BAT in an un-stimulated state had favorable metabolic profiles suggesting that active BAT may be a potential target for preventing and treating obesity and other metabolic disorders.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, 12 Wulumuqi Middle Road, 200040, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Qiongyue
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hongying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Zhaoyun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Shuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chuantao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: Zhengwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhemin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Ruidan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Meifang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Wanzhu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Qiqun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Yihui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Yiming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose