Cooling Vest Procedure and Fasting overnight for Healthy Lifestyle
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) burns excess calories to produce heat in response to environmental cold. Rapidly growing evidence from rodent and human studies suggests that the presence and activation of brown fat are far more beneficial for whole body metabolism and cardiometabolic health than previously appreciated. Despite the clear associations between brown fat and metabolic health, we lack both: cost-effective means of detecting brown fat in humans as well as comprehensive insights into how brown fat facilitates metabolism on a molecular level in humans. Emerging evidence suggests that the benefits of brown fat activation are mediated, at least in part, by secretion of specific molecules into the bloodstream which signal to metabolically active organs such as skeletal muscle, liver and brain. A number of these so-called brown adipokines (or BATokines) have now been discovered in mice and shown to positively impact glucose homeostasis, liver and muscle function. Human deep-neck brown fat biopsies reveal that \>1000 molecules could potentially be secreted from brown fat, and \>400 are released by human brown fat cells in a dish, representing a major opportunity for discovery of high translational value. Here, we aim to identify a screen of first potential blood biomarkers of brown fat in healthy young humans. This will be achieved by analyzing plasma proteins in subjects with 'inactive brown fat' (warm) and 'activated brown fat' (3-hr cold exposure, cooling vests) using high-throughput technologies (SOMAscan and O-link) to identify temperature-sensitive brown fat-enriched molecules. This preliminary data will guide a larger follow up study in which we envision studying lean and obese (insulin sensitive and insulin resistant) subjects of various age groups and race/ethnicity. Human BATokines identified here will become primary targets for manipulation in experimental animals to assess their therapeutic potential against obesity, T2D, and associated diseases. Additionally, since current methods of brown fat detection in human rely on deep neck biopsies or costly 18-FDG-PET/CT scans, identification of blood biomarkers of brown fat would offer a cost-effective and non-invasive alternative for prediction of metabolic health in humans.
Research Team
Kaja Plucinska, PhD
Principal Investigator
The Rockefeller University
Paul Cohen, PhD
Principal Investigator
The Rockefeller University
Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for healthy young adults aged 18-28 with a BMI between 19 and 25. Participants should not be on weight loss treatments or have diabetes, thyroid disease, cancer, Raynaud's Syndrome, systemic sclerosis, recent COVID-19 infection or vaccine shots. Pregnant individuals or those on certain medications (except oral contraceptives) are excluded.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
Treatment Details
Interventions
- Cooling Vest Procedure
- Fasting overnight
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Rockefeller University
Lead Sponsor
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Collaborator