Hormonal
White adipose tissue (WAT) can be converted into energy-dissipating brown-like (beige/brite) adipocytes through the upregulation of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), a process driven by endogenous factors like norepinephrine, myokines (irisin, BAIBA), and nutritional factors, thereby increasing energy expenditure and potentially treating obesity.
Current research suggests that your fat tissue isn't just storage; it can be 'reprogrammed' to burn energy. While cold exposure works, it's uncomfortable. Future therapies may use specific nutrients or drugs to trigger this 'browning' process, turning fat into heat-producing tissue, potentially offering a new way to manage weight without extreme dieting.
After the demonstration of functional brown adipose tissue in human adults, great effort is being devoted to develop therapies based on the adipose tissue itself, through the conversion of fat-accumulating white adipose tissue into energy-dissipating brown adipose tissue.
Why this rating
The paper is a review of preclinical (animal) and some human cell studies; human clinical data for many specific agents (e.g., irisin, BAIBA) is limited or mixed.
Source
Factors involved in white‐to‐brown adipose tissue conversion and in thermogenesis: a review
Tommaso Montanari et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2017
DOI 10.1111/obr.12520
More from this paper
- Obesity creates a pro-inflammatory environment in white adipose tissue that impairs signaling of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) by downregulating its co-receptor β-Klotho, leading to FGF21 resistance.Good
- Exercise-induced myokines, specifically irisin and beta-aminoisobutyric acid (BAIBA), promote white-to-brown adipose tissue conversion and thermogenesis through the p38 MAPK and PPARα pathways, respectively.Moderate
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