Cold thermogenesis
DEKältethermogenese
Cold thermogenesis is the body's heat-producing response to cold, comprising shivering thermogenesis in skeletal muscle and non-shivering thermogenesis driven by UCP1-dependent activation of brown and other thermogenic ('beige') adipose depots. Repeated cold stimulation can increase tracer-based glucose uptake by thermogenic adipose tissue in small imaging studies, though this reflects local activity rather than necessarily systemic metabolic improvement. Whether these effects translate into durable, clinically meaningful improvements in body composition or metabolic health remains under investigation.
Sources
- van Marken Lichtenbelt WD, Vanhommerig JW, Smulders NM, Drossaerts JM, Kemerink GJ, Bouvy ND, Schrauwen P, Teule GJ. (2009). Cold-activated brown adipose tissue in healthy men. *New England Journal of Medicine*doi:10.1056/NEJMoa0808718
- van der Lans AA, Hoeks J, Brans B, et al.. (2013). Cold acclimation recruits human brown fat and increases nonshivering thermogenesis. *Journal of Clinical Investigation*doi:10.1172/JCI68993
