Endocrine Abstracts

The thermogenic activity of brown adipose tissue (BAT) may be a major determinant of energy balance and thus of obesity versus slimness. The acute and chronic regulation of BAT may therefore be a significant issue in body weight control. From a classical aspect where BAT is only controlled by nervous input, we see today a growing array of factors that have been forwarded as being physiologically important regulators. These factors include both classical hormones such as thyroid hormone and glucocorticoids but also a series of agents released from organs that are not classically considered endocrine (adipose tissue, the gut, muscles, etc.). Here I will discuss some of what is known today regarding the question “what talks to brown fat?”