Human adipose dynamics and metabolic health

Abstract

The two types of adipose tissue in humans, white and brown, have distinct developmental origins and functions. Human white adipose tissue plays a pivotal role in maintaining whole body energy homeostasis by storing triglycerides when energy is in surplus, releasing free fatty acids as a fuel during energy shortage and secreting adipokines that are important for regulating lipid and glucose metabolism. The size of white adipose mass needs to be kept at a proper set point. Dramatic expansion of white fat mass causes obesity, which has now become a global epidemic disease, and increases the risk for the development of many life threatening diseases. Absence of white adipose tissue or abnormal white adipose tissue re-distribution leads to lipodystrophy, a condition often associated with metabolic disorders. Brown adipose tissue is a thermogenic organ, and its mass is inversely correlated with body mass index and age. Therapeutic approaches targeting adipose tissue have been proved to be effective in improving obesity-related metabolic disorders and promising new therapies could be developed in the near future.

Thermographic and anthropometric assessment of electrical stimulation on localized body fat

“…Some cells are more ef icient in the absorption of excess calories into the bloodstream, while others release their stored energy to other tissues. This explains the higher resistance of some fat deposits to reduction (1,4). Adiposity gets stored in different regions of the body depending on sex, age, and metabolic, genetic, environmental and nutritional factors.…”

“…The adipose tissue is a differentiated connective tissue. It is formed by adipocytes, which have a thermal and illing function, and help in the maintenance of bodily structures and energy reserves (1,2,3).…”

Adiposity and spinal cord injury

“…The adipocytes in subcutaneous depots have a higher capacity for adipogenesis and differentiate more rapidly compared to visceral depots. White adipose tissue in the visceral abdominal region has been shown to increase insulin resistance, thereby, it is less harmful to store white adipose tissue in subcutaneous compartment compared to the visceral region [38] .…”

“…It has been discovered that humans contain both white and brown adipose tissue which possess two distinct developmental origins and functions [38][39][40][41][42] . The brown adipose tissue has yet to be studied in humans with SCI; however, its potential contribution to increase the metabolic rate is important considering the prevalence of obesity after SCI.…”

“…Homeostasis is maintained by storing triglycerides when energy is in surplus, releasing fatty acids as fuel during energy storage, and secreting adipokines which regulate glucose and lipid metabolism [2,38] . Recent studies indicate that white adipose tissue serves as an active endocrine organ which secretes numerous hormones, cytokines, and chemokines that are essential for regulating energy homeostasis in the body [2] .…”