Brown and Beige Fat: Physiological Roles beyond Heat Generation

Since brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates energy through UCP1, BAT has garnered attention as a therapeutic intervention for obesity and metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes. As we better understand the physiological roles of classical brown and beige adipocytes, it is becoming clear that BAT is not simply a heat-generating organ. Increased beige fat mass in response to a variety of external/internal cues is associated with significant...