Brown fat thermogenesis and cold adaptation in humans.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of human brown fat physiology without primary data or systematic search methodology.
PubMed 40259336 · doi:10.1186/s40101-025-00391-w
What was done
This paper is a narrative review summarizing research on human brown adipose tissue (BAT) and its role in cold-induced non-shivering thermogenesis (NST) across acute, chronic, and transgenerational timescales.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values, statistics, or effect estimates. It qualitatively describes that acute cold exposure rapidly activates BAT to maintain body temperature, prolonged cold exposure recruits BAT to enhance NST capacity and cold tolerance, and cold adaptation may be transmitted to offspring through the paternal lineage.
Why it matters
It provides a conceptual overview of how brown fat mediates human thermoregulation and cold tolerance across immediate, acquired, and potential hereditary dimensions.
Limits
The abstract contains no empirical measurements, sample sizes, or study counts, nor does it follow a systematic review methodology. Evidence supporting transgenerational adaptation in humans is described conceptually without presented primary data.
Cited by
- supports Cold exposure and cold plunges stimulate the growth and activation of brown adipose tissue in adults.