Recent evidence for the involvement of brown adipose tissue in body weight regulation

This short review first describes the energy requirements in homeotherms and the components of their energy balance. It emphasizes the role of brown adipose tissue as an effector of both non shivering and adaptive diet-induced thermogenesis. This tissue has in fact been recently found to be a common effector of both thermic and weight regulation in small mammals. This finding is based on experiments performed in genetically or experimentally obese rodents. The possible role of brown adipose tissue in adaptive diet-induced thermogenesis in man is discussed.