Rethinking fat Browning: Uncovering new molecular insights into the synergistic roles of fasting, exercise, and cold exposure.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of molecular mechanisms and preclinical studies without new human data.
PubMed 40274179 · doi:10.1016/j.ejphar.2025.177651
What was done
This narrative review summarizes molecular mechanisms underlying white adipose tissue browning induced by fasting, exercise, and cold exposure, evaluating shared signaling pathways and species-specific translational challenges between rodents and humans.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical findings or effect sizes. It notes qualitatively that fasting, physical exercise, and cold exposure consistently trigger lipolysis, mitochondrial biogenesis, and improved insulin sensitivity, with shared upregulation of PGC-1α and SIRT3, whereas UCP1 and PRDM16 display condition-specific regulation.
Why it matters
Identifying PGC-1α and SIRT3 as common regulatory hubs across diverse physiological stimuli provides potential molecular targets for metabolic therapies aimed at stimulating adipose tissue browning.
Limits
As a narrative review, it presents no original data, quantitative meta-analysis, or specified systematic search strategy. Mechanistic findings largely derive from rodent models, which frequently do not translate directly to human brown adipose tissue activation.
Cited by
- supports PGC-1alpha drives mitochondrial biogenesis that converts white adipose tissue to brown adipose tissue.