Adults with metabolically healthy overweight or obesity present more brown adipose tissue and higher thermogenesis than their metabolically unhealthy counterpartsResearch in context
Lucas Jurado-Fasoli,
Guillermo Sanchez-Delgado,
Juan M.A. Alcantara,
Francisco M. Acosta,
Rocio Sanchez-Sanchez,
Idoia Labayen,
Francisco B. Ortega,
Borja Martinez-Tellez,
Jonatan R. Ruiz
Affiliations
Lucas Jurado-Fasoli
Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sports Science, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Carretera de Alfacar s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Andalucía, Spain; Corresponding author. Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sports Science, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Carretera de Alfacar s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain.
Guillermo Sanchez-Delgado
Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sports Science, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Carretera de Alfacar s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain; Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada; CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria, Ibs.Granada, Granada, Spain
Juan M.A. Alcantara
Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sports Science, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Carretera de Alfacar s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain; CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Granada, Spain; Department of Health Sciences, ''Institute for Sustainability & Food Chain Innovation'', Public University of Navarre, Pamplona, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research, Pamplona, Spain
Francisco M. Acosta
Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sports Science, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Carretera de Alfacar s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain; Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Turku PET Centre, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland; InFLAMES Research Flagship, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland; MediCity/PET Preclinical Laboratory, University of Turku, Turku PET Centre, Turku, Finland
Rocio Sanchez-Sanchez
Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria, Ibs.Granada, Granada, Spain; Servicio de Medicina Nuclear, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain
Idoia Labayen
CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Granada, Spain; Department of Health Sciences, ''Institute for Sustainability & Food Chain Innovation'', Public University of Navarre, Pamplona, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research, Pamplona, Spain
Francisco B. Ortega
Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sports Science, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Carretera de Alfacar s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain; CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Granada, Spain; Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
Borja Martinez-Tellez
Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sports Science, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Carretera de Alfacar s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain; CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Granada, Spain; Department of Education, Faculty of Education Sciences and SPORT Research Group (CTS-1024), CERNEP Research Center, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
Jonatan R. Ruiz
Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sports Science, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Carretera de Alfacar s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain; CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria, Ibs.Granada, Granada, Spain; Corresponding author. Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sports Science, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Carretera de Alfacar s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain.
Summary: Background: There is a subset of individuals with overweight/obesity characterized by a lower risk of cardiometabolic complications, the so-called metabolically healthy overweight/obesity (MHOO) phenotype. Despite the relatively higher levels of subcutaneous adipose tissue and lower visceral adipose tissue observed in individuals with MHOO than individuals with metabolically unhealthy overweight/obesity (MUOO), little is known about the differences in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Methods: This study included 53 young adults (28 women) with a body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2 which were classified as MHOO (n = 34) or MUOO (n = 19). BAT was assessed through a static 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan after a 2-h personalized cooling protocol. Energy expenditure, skin temperature, and thermal perception were assessed during a standardized mixed meal test (3.5 h) and a 1-h personalized cold exposure. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, energy intake was determined during an ad libitum meal test and dietary recalls, and physical activity levels were determined by a wrist-worn accelerometer. Findings: Participants with MHOO presented higher BAT volume (+124%, P = 0.008), SUVmean (+63%, P = 0.001), and SUVpeak (+133%, P = 0.003) than MUOO, despite having similar BAT mean radiodensity (P = 0.354). In addition, individuals with MHOO exhibited marginally higher meal-induced thermogenesis (P = 0.096) and cold-induced thermogenesis (+158%, P = 0.050). Moreover, MHOO participants showed higher supraclavicular skin temperature than MUOO during the first hour of the postprandial period and during the cold exposure, while no statistically significant differences were observed in other skin temperature parameters. We observed no statistically significant differences between MHOO and MUOO in thermal perception, body composition, outdoor ambient temperature exposure, resting metabolic rate, energy intake, or physical activity levels. Interpretation: Adults with MHOO present higher BAT volume and activity than MUOO. The higher meal- and cold-induced thermogenesis and cold-induced supraclavicular skin temperature are compatible with a higher BAT activity. Overall, these results suggest that BAT presence and activity might be linked to a healthier phenotype in young adults with overweight or obesity. Funding: See acknowledgments section.
