Endocrine Abstracts

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) was previously thought of as an animal-only tissue. Recently, this view was radically changed by several publications suggesting that active BAT might be part of normal human physiology. These results together with other papers on the same topic, make BAT-mediated dissipation of excess energy in humans a real possibility. Together, these advances are stimulating a radical reassessment of the role of brown adipose tissue in human pathophysiology. Furthermore, these new data have also opened up exciting new opportunities for the development of entirely new classes of therapeutics for metabolic diseases like obesity and type-2 diabetes. Any effective treatment for obesity must, over time, affect the total energy balance by either increasing expenditure or reducing intake. Complex hormonal, neuronal, genetic, and behavioral networks govern food intake and satiety. Research in these areas is focusing on new ways to combat obesity by modulating energy intake, a difficult approach necessitating long term neurological changes. The development of strategies to increase the amount and activity of human BAT provides an alternative and a conceptually attractive way to enhance energy expenditure, especially as this system has evolved with the sole purpose of safely dissipating large amounts of chemical energy.