Frontiers in Nutrition (Oct 2022)

Brown fat-associated postprandial thermogenesis in humans: Different effects of isocaloric meals rich in carbohydrate, fat, and protein

  • Sayuri Aita,
  • Sayuri Aita,
  • Mami Matsushita,
  • Takeshi Yoneshiro,
  • Takeshi Yoneshiro,
  • Takuya Hatano,
  • Takuya Hatano,
  • Toshimitsu Kameya,
  • Iwao Ohkubo,
  • Masayuki Saito,
  • Masayuki Saito

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.1040444
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9

Abstract

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The increase of whole-body energy expenditure seen after a single meal ingestion, referred to as diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), substantially varies depending on the meal’s macronutrient composition. Brown adipose tissue (BAT), a site of non-shivering thermogenesis, was reported to be involved in DIT. To examine the effects of meal composition on BAT-associated DIT in humans, healthy male participants underwent fluorodeoxyglucose–positron emission tomography to assess BAT activity, and respiratory gas analysis for 2 h after ingestion of a carbohydrate-, protein-, or fat-rich meal (C-meal, P-meal, and F-meal, respectively). The calculated DIT at 2 h was 6.44 ± 2.01%, 3.49 ± 2.00%, and 2.32 ± 0.90% of the ingested energy after the P-meal, C-meal, and F-meal, respectively. The DIT after C-meal ingestion correlated positively with BAT activity (P = 0.011), and was approximately twice greater in the group with high-BAT activity than in the group with low-BAT activity (4.35 ± 1.74% vs. 2.12 ± 1.76%, P < 0.035). Conversely, the DIT after F-meal or P-meal ingestion did not correlate with BAT activity, with no difference between the two groups. Thus, BAT has a significant role in DIT after ingestion of a carbohydrate-rich meal, but hardly after ingestion either protein- or fat-rich meal.

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