Mixed
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) contributes minimally (approx. 1%) to total cold-induced thermogenesis in humans, with deep cervico-thoracic skeletal muscles serving as the major contributor.
Exposing yourself to cold will not significantly boost your daily calorie burn through brown fat alone. While your brown fat does become more active in the cold, it only accounts for about 1% of the extra energy you burn. The real heat production comes from your deep neck and chest muscles, not just your fat. Don't rely on cold exposure as a primary weight loss strategy.
BAT-specific EE was found to be a minor contributor in cold induced whole-body thermogenesis (almost 1 % of total whole-body elevation in EE). Certain deep muscles in the cervico-thoracic region made a major contribution to this cold-induced thermogenesis (CIT) without any visual signs or individual perception of shivering.
Why this rating
Small sample size (n=7) and limited field of view restrict generalizability, though the direct measurement of oxygen consumption via PET is high-fidelity.
Source
Human brown adipose tissue [15O]O2 PET imaging in the presence and absence of cold stimulus
Mueez U-Din et al. · European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging · 2016
DOI 10.1007/s00259-016-3364-y
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