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Updated: Jun 4, 2025
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Whole Body and Regional Quantification of Active Human Brown Adipose Tissue Using 18F-FDG PET/CT
Published on: April 1, 2019
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Brown adipose tissue enhances exercise performance and healthful longevity
Dorothy E Vatner1, Jie Zhang1, Stephen F Vatner1
1Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.
Aging
|December 19, 2024
Summary
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) enhances exercise performance and promotes longevity. Studies show BAT transplantation boosts endurance, suggesting pharmaceutical analogs could be novel therapeutics for healthy aging.
Area of Science:
- Metabolic research
- Longevity science
- Exercise physiology
Background:
- Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is crucial for thermogenesis and healthy longevity.
- Exercise influences BAT activation and density, but BAT's direct impact on exercise performance is less understood.
- The regulator of G protein signaling 14 (RGS14) knockout model exhibits extended longevity and enhanced exercise capacity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in mediating healthy longevity.
- To explore how BAT influences exercise capacity.
- To investigate the potential of BAT-based therapies for improving healthspan and exercise performance.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on BAT and exercise.
- Analysis of studies involving RGS14 knockout mice and BAT transplantation.
- Comparison of exercise performance changes after BAT transplantation between RGS14 KO and wild-type mice.
Main Results:
- RGS14 knockout mice demonstrate enhanced exercise performance due to more potent BAT.
- BAT transplantation from RGS14 KO mice significantly improved exercise capacity in wild-type recipients within 3 days.
- BAT transplantation from wild-type donors improved exercise performance in wild-type recipients, but only after 8 weeks.
Conclusions:
- Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a significant role in enhancing exercise capacity and promoting healthy longevity.
- BAT's potentiation, as seen in the RGS14 KO model, offers a direct mechanism for improving endurance.
- Pharmaceutical analogs targeting BAT represent a promising future therapeutic strategy for enhancing healthspan and combating age-related decline.
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