Brown adipose tissue fat-fraction is associated with skeletal muscle adiposity

While brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity is known to be associated with both muscle and adipose tissue volumes, the association between BAT and muscle composition remains unclear, especially in adults. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the association between BAT parameters (glucose uptake and fat-fraction) and muscle volumes and intramuscular adipose tissue contents among healthy young and middle-aged men.

BAT glucose uptake was determined using positron emission tomography with [¹⁸F]-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose (¹⁸F-FDG) during cold exposure in 19 young and middle-aged men (36.3 ± 10.7 years). The fat-fraction of BAT was determined from volumes of interest set in cervical and supraclavicular adipose tissue depots using signal fat-fraction maps via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Muscle volumes and intramuscular adipose tissue contents of m. tibialis anterior and m. multifidus lumborum were measured using MRI.

The fat-fraction of BAT was significantly associated with intramuscular adipose tissue content in m. tibialis anterior (n = 13, r_s = 0.691, P = 0.009). A similar trend was also observed in m. multifidus lumborum (n = 19, r_s = 0.454, P = 0.051). However, BAT glucose uptake was not associated with intramuscular adipose tissue contents in both muscles, nor were muscle volumes associated with the BAT glucose uptake and fat-fraction.

The fat-fraction of BAT increases with skeletal muscle adiposity, especially in the lower leg, among healthy young and middle-aged men.