An interventional study of Cold exposure and Exposure to thermoneutral conditions in Obesity, sponsored by Washington University School of Medicine. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to female participants aged 21 Years to 65 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-03-15.
Sponsored by Washington University School of Medicine · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
The recent discovery of functional brown adipose tissue (BAT) in humans has led to a paradigm shift in adipose tissue biology; it is now believed that adipocytes may play a significant role in regulating substrate metabolism. Given that the resurgence in the interest in human BAT is still in its infancy, a number of fundamental questions pertaining to the role of BAT in human physiology remain unanswered. One area of particular importance, but poorly understood, is the potential effect of BAT on triglyceride (TG) metabolism. Data from a series of studies have found that BAT is inversely associated with adiposity, high blood lipids, and fatty liver in people. However, the role of BAT in the regulation of TG metabolism in people is not known. The overall goal of this study is to determine the physiological importance of the human BAT in TG metabolism. To this end, we are planning to study overweight/obese women with high amounts of BAT (BAT+, n=14) and with no/minimal BAT (BAT-, n=14) both under thermoneutrality and mild cold exposure (\~2 weeks apart). The investigators hypothesize that BAT+ participants will demonstrate greater plasma very low-density lipoprotein triglycerides (VLDL-TG) clearance rate compared to BAT- participants, and higher expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism only in BAT (but not muscle and white adipose tissue). Infusion of stable isotope tracers and metabolic modeling techniques will be used to assess VLDL-TG kinetics. Positron emission tomography computed tomography will be used for the identification and quantification of BAT. Supraclavicular BAT, abdominal white adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle tissue biopsies during cold exposure and thermoneutral conditions in conjunction with molecular biology techniques will used to measure expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism.
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This study's enrollment of 29 is below the median of 77 across 5,084 interventional studies indexed under Obesity.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Individuals with significant amounts of BAT (\>20 ml)
Other: Cold exposure · Other: Exposure to thermoneutral conditions
Individuals with no/minimal amounts of BAT (\<20 ml)
Other: Cold exposure · Other: Exposure to thermoneutral conditions
During cold exposure intervention, we will use an individualized cold exposure protocol above the individual shivering threshold of each participant using liquid condition garments and a temperature controlled room.
For the thermoneutral conditions intervention, subjects will be exposed to thermoneutral conditions (\~26-28°C).
Rate of VLDL-TG clearance
The rate of VLDL-TG clearance from plasma will be assessed using infusion of stable isotopes.
Time frame: 12 hours
Plan to share: No
This study is completed, as verified in Mar 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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