Research
Hormonal
FGF21 promotes the browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) and increases thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT) in response to cold exposure and metabolic stress.
FGF21 helps your body burn calories by turning white fat into brown-like fat, especially when you are cold or stressed. This process increases energy expenditure without requiring you to exercise more.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
In white adipose tissue (WAT), FGF21 regulates aspects of glucose metabolism, and in susceptible WAT depots, it can cause browning.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple studies in mice and some human data on brown-like adipocytes.
Source
Understanding the Physiology of FGF21
Ffolliott M. Fisher et al. · Annual Review of Physiology · 2015
DOI 10.1146/annurev-physiol-021115-105339
narrative_reviewCited 881×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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