Brown adipose tissue profileration and activation as a possible tool against obesity

Abstract

In our country, 7 out of 10 adults are obese and overweight. Obesity is associated with the presence of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases, which include the main causes of morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, the conventional treatment for obesity (diet and exercise) does not allow the obtention of fully satisfactory results in a sustained manner. In this way, the search for adjuvant factors that allow increasing energy expenditure is of great relevance to achieve a significant response in the management of obesity. In this context, the metabolic activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) emerges as a possible adjuvant therapy in the management of obesity. Various stimulating factors for TAP are known, such as cold, diet, physical activity, BAT transplantation and finally bariatric surgery. In this review we address the basic concepts about the physiology of BAT, its regulation and the mechanisms associated with its metabolic activation as a possible secondary treatment for obesity.