(Nature Research, 2022) Martínez Téllez, Borja; Sánchez Delgado, Guillermo; Acosta, Francisco M.; Alcántara Alcántara, Juan Manuel; Amaro Gahete, Francisco J.; Martínez Ávila, Wendy D.; Merchán Ramírez, Elisa; Muñoz-Hernández, Victoria; Osuna Prieto, Francisco J.; Jurado Fasoli, Lucas; Xu, Huiwen; Ortiz Álvarez, Lourdes; Arias Téllez, María J.; Méndez Gutiérrez, Andrea; Labayen Goñi, Idoia; Ortega, Francisco B.; Schönke, Milena; Rensen, Patrick C. N; Aguilera, Concepción María; Llamas Elvira, José M.; Gil, Ángel; Ruiz, Jonatan R.; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
Exercise modulates both brown adipose tissue (BAT) metabolism and white
adipose tissue (WAT) browning in murine models. Whether this is true in
humans, however, has remained unknown. An unblinded randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02365129) was therefore conducted to
study the effects of a 24-week supervised exercise intervention, combining
endurance and resistance training, on BAT volume and activity (primary outcome). The study was carried out in the Sport and Health University Research
Institute and the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital of the University of
Granada (Spain). One hundred and forty-five young sedentary adults were
assigned to either (i) a control group (no exercise, n = 54), (ii) a moderate
intensity exercise group (MOD-EX, n = 48), or (iii) a vigorous intensity exercise
group (VIG-EX n = 43) by unrestricted randomization. No relevant adverse
events were recorded. 97 participants (34 men, 63 women) were included in
the final analysis (Control; n = 35, MOD-EX; n = 31, and VIG-EX; n = 31). We
observed no changes in BAT volume (Δ Control: −22.2 ± 52.6 ml; Δ MOD-EX:
−15.5 ± 62.1 ml, Δ VIG-EX: −6.8 ± 66.4 ml; P = 0.771) or 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose
uptake (SUVpeak Δ Control: −2.6 ± 3.1 ml; Δ MOD-EX: −1.2 ± 4.8, Δ VIG-EX:
−2.2 ± 5.1; p = 0.476) in either the control or the exercise groups. Thus, we did
not find any evidence of an exercise-induced change on BAT volume or activity
in young sedentary adults.
