11 May
13:00

PhD conferral mr. Michiel P.B. Moonen

Supervisors: prof.dr. W.D. van Marken Lichtenbelt, prof.dr. P. Schrauwen

Key words: brown adipose tissue, thermoregulation, metabolism

"Human brown adipose tissue: Metabolic effects and clinical implications"

In the modern world, obesity is a huge threat to our health. Obesity leads to a disturbed metabolism, in the form of diabetes, elevated cholesterol and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

Brown adipose tissue can provide an answer to this threat. This special type of adipose tissue becomes active during cold, leads to an elevation of energy consumption, and stimulates the use of sugars and fats. This research focused on the application of brown adipose tissue to improve our metabolism. Therefore, cold was applied to research subjects and their metabolism and energy consumption were measured. It was found that mild cold is insufficient to improve metabolism. More intense cold, with contribution of shivering, would be needed in the fight against obesity. 

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