Short dietary intervention with olive oil increases brown adipose tissue activity in lean but not overweight subjects.
Published Nov 12, 2020 · M. Monfort-Pires, M. U-Din, Guilherme Nogueira
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism
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Abstract
BACKGROUND The brown adipose tissue is a potential target for the treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders. Its activation by cold exposure or adrenergic drugs can increase systemic insulin sensitivity and improve lipid metabolism; however, little is known about the effects of specific dietary components on brown adipose tissue activity. OBJECTIVES We asked if a short-term (four weeks) dietary intervention with olive oil could modify brown adipose tissue activity in lean and overweight/obese volunteers. DESIGN This was a 4-week open clinical trial in which all participants underwent a dietary intervention with extra virgin olive oil supplementation. As the initial intake of olive oil was controlled all the participants were controls of themselves. RESULTS The intervention resulted in significant increase in blood monounsaturated fatty acid levels, which was accompanied by increased brown adipose tissue activity in lean but not in overweight/obese volunteers. In the lean group, an increase in leptin was detected after the intervention, and low leptin values at the beginning of the study were predictive of greater brown adipose tissue activity after intervention. In addition, increase in leptin concentration was associated with increased brown adipose tissue activity. Three known endogenous mediators of brown adipose tissue activity, secretin, FGF21 and 12,13di-HOME were increased by intervention in lean, whereas only secretin and FGF21 were increased in subjects with excessive weight. CONCLUSION This study provides clinical evidence for the impact of monounsaturated fatty acids on BAT activity and an advance in the understanding of the beneficial health effects of olive oil.