The role of active brown adipose tissue in human metabolism.
OBJECTIVE
The presence of activated brown adipose tissue (ABAT) has been associated with a reduced risk of obesity in adults. We aimed to investigate whether the presence of ABAT in patients undergoing (18)F-FDG PET/CT examinations was related to blood lipid profiles, liver function, and the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).


METHODS
We retrospectively and prospectively analysed the (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans from 5,907 consecutive patients who were referred to the Nuclear Medicine Department of the Marmara University School of Medicine from outpatient oncology clinics between July 2008 and June 2014 for a variety of diagnostic reasons. Attenuation coefficients for the liver and spleen were determined for at least five different areas. Blood samples were obtained before PET/CT to assess the blood lipid profiles and liver function.


RESULTS
A total of 25 of the 5,907 screened individuals fulfilling the inclusion criteria for the study demonstrated brown fat tissue uptake [ABAT(+) subjects]. After adjustment for potential confounders, 75 individuals without evidence of ABAT on PET [ABAT(-) subjects] were enrolled for comparison purposes. The ABAT(+) group had lower total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate transaminase levels (p < 0.01), whereas we found no significant differences in the serum triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels between the two groups. The prevalence of NAFLD was significantly lower in ABAT(+) than in ABAT(-) subjects (p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study showed that the presence of ABAT in adults had a positive effect on their blood lipid profiles and liver function and was associated with reduced prevalence of NAFLD. Thus, our data suggest that activating brown adipose tissue may be a potential target for preventing and treating dyslipidaemia and NAFLD.
Department of Nuclear Medicine, S.B. Marmara Universitesi Pendik Egitim ve Arastirma Hastanesi, Istanbul, Turkey.
Salih
S
Ozguven
Department of Nuclear Medicine, S.B. Marmara Universitesi Pendik Egitim ve Arastirma Hastanesi, Istanbul, Turkey. tones@marmara.edu.tr.|, Kayasultan Sokak, Aydogan Sitesi, No: 58, A Blok, Daire: 5, Kozyatagi/Kadikoy, Istanbul, 34742, Turkey. tones@marmara.edu.tr.
Tunc
T
Ones
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, S.B. Marmara Universitesi Pendik Egitim ve Arastirma Hastanesi, Istanbul, Turkey.
Yusuf
Y
Yilmaz
Department of Nuclear Medicine, S.B. Marmara Universitesi Pendik Egitim ve Arastirma Hastanesi, Istanbul, Turkey.
H Turgut
HT
Turoglu
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, S.B. Marmara Universitesi Pendik Egitim ve Arastirma Hastanesi, Istanbul, Turkey.
Nese
N
Imeryuz
D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000328:Adult; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose; Adipose tissue, brown; Dyslipidaemias; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Positron emission tomography