Chronic cold exposure: A white adipose tissue browning factor

In the human body, there are two major subtypes of adipose tissue, white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT). Using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), an intravenously administered radioactive glucose analog, it was demonstrated with positron emission tomography and computed tomography that the main BAT depots were disseminated throughout the human body (around the thoracic aorta, common carotid artery, brachiocephalic brachiocephalic artery, kidney, adrenal glands, liver, pancreas; in anterior mediastinum, supraclavicular fossa, axilla and thoracic paravertebral loci, also between neck muscles). The magnitude of FDG uptake by BAT was reported to increase with exposure to low temperature (1-4), hence cold exposure being considered one of the major browning factors (the myokine and adipokine irisin as well as other browning factors are not in the scope of present Dance Round)