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Updated: Nov 3, 2025
Whole Body and Regional Quantification of Active Human Brown Adipose Tissue Using 18F-FDG PET/CT
Published on: April 1, 2019
Thyroid function is not associated with brown adipose tissue volume and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in young
Elisa Merchan-Ramirez1, Guillermo Sanchez-Delgado1,2, Cristina Arrizabalaga-Arriazu3
1PROFITH "PROmoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity" Research Group, Department of Physical and Sports Education, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Faculty of Sports Science, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
Purpose:
Thyroid hormones (THs) are important mediators of brown adipose tissue (BAT) differentiation. However, the association of TH concentrations with human BAT is unclear. The present work examines the associations between circulating thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and THs concentrations (i.e. free triiodothyronine, FT3, and free thyroxine, FT4), under thermoneutral (22-23°C) and cold-induced conditions, and BAT volume, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) uptake and mean radiodensity.
Methods:
A total of 106 young healthy, euthyroid adults (34 men/72 women; 22.0 ± 2.1 years old; 24.9 ± 4.6 kg/m2) participated in this cross-sectional study. BAT volume, 18F-FDG uptake and mean radiodensity were assessed after 2 h of personalized (i.e. contemplating each individual's shivering threshold) cold exposure via positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) static scanning. TSH and THs levels were determined before (thermoneutral) and 1 h after the cold exposure.
Results:
Cold exposure increased circulating FT4 (P = 0.038) and reduced TSH levels (P ≤ 0.001). Conversely, the FT3 serum concentration was not modified by cold exposure (P = 0.435). No associations were found between the TSH and THs thermoneutral (all P > 0.111) or cold-induced levels (all P > 0.067) and BAT volume, 18F-FDG uptake and mean radiodensity. These findings were independent of sex and BMI.
Conclusions:
Thyroid function is modulated by cold exposure, yet it is not associated with BAT volume or glucose metabolism assessed after 2 h of cold exposure in young healthy, euthyroid adults.
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