Research
Hormonal
Exercise induces the production of myokines like irisin and meteorin-like (Metrnl) which promote the browning of white adipose tissue and increase energy expenditure.
Regular exercise may help your body burn more calories by triggering the release of proteins from your muscles that encourage your fat cells to burn energy. Even if the exact mechanisms are still being studied, exercise remains a key strategy for metabolic health.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
PGC-1α is able to increase expression of FNDC5 (fibronectin domain-containing 5), a membrane protein that is cleaved and secreted as irisin. Although controversial, irisin has been reported to be induced by exercise in mice and humans and capable of inducing browning of WAT, resulting in improvements in obesity and glucose homeostasis [38].
Why this rating
Strong rodent data, but human data is mixed and controversial.
Source
Brown Fat and Browning for the Treatment of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders
So Hun Kim et al. · Diabetes & Metabolism Journal · 2016
DOI 10.4093/dmj.2016.40.1.12
narrative_reviewCited 229×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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