Cold‐Induced Lipidomic Remodelling Is Associated With Brown Adipose Tissue Mean Radiodensity in Humans

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: AIMS: Cold exposure activates brown adipose tissue (BAT) and promotes thermogenic and metabolic adaptations. While BAT activation has been linked to improved cardiometabolic health, how acute cold exposure reshapes the circulating lipidome in humans remains incompletely understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We profiled 656 plasma lipid species across 14 subclasses in 58 young sedentary adults (72% women) before and during a 2-h cold exposure using mass spectrometry-based lipidomics and assessed their associations with BAT volume, activity and mean radiodensity. RESULTS: Here, we demonstrate that acute cold exposure increased circulating membrane-associated phospholipids while decreasing triacylglycerol (TG) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) species, indicating a redistribution of lipid classes towards structural and signalling lipids. These lipid alterations were structurally selective, with both phospholipids and TG showing the largest shifts among species with shorter and less unsaturated acyl chains. Notably, cold-induced reductions in circulating TG species were negatively correlated with BAT mean radiodensity, linking systemic lipid remodelling to BAT activation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings define a distinct lipidomic signature of acute cold exposure in humans and suggest that even short-term BAT activation is associated with coordinated remodelling of circulating lipid networks. This lipid remodelling may reflect enhanced BAT lipid utilisation and contribute to the cardiometabolic benefits associated with cold exposure. Future studies are warranted in more diverse populations, including older individuals and those with obesity or type 2 diabetes, in whom BAT activity and lipid metabolism differ substantially.

Source: Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism

DOI: 10.1111/dom.70772

Authors: Yu Zhang, Borja Martinez‐Tellez, Alida Kindt, Nicolas Drouin, Amy Harms, Thomas Hankemeier, Jonatan R. Ruiz, Lucas Jurado‐Fasoli

Institutions: Leiden University, Universidad de Granada, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, University of Almería, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada

Language: English

Topic: Adipose Tissue and Metabolism

Subfield: Physiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $5,380

Funders: AstraZeneca, AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation, Fundación Iberoamericana de Nutrición, Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, China Scholarship Council, Universidad de Granada, Junta de Andalucía, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, European Regional Development Fund, Chinese Government Scholarship

OpenAlex ID: W7155012526