Obesity is characterized by excessive white adipose tissue (WAT) that increases risk for disease. About 700 million adults are obese worldwide, designating the need of reducing excessive WAT in humans and subsequently the risk for disease. For this reason, previous research focused on the thermogenic capacity of white adipocytes in response to chronic exercise. It is suggested that the latter occurs due to increased demand of oxidation during exercise to maintain non-esterified fatty acids flux in the circulation, thus to maintain energy supply White adipocytes express the uncoupling protein one (UCP1), which dissipates chemical energy in the mitochondria to produce heat in response to cold exposure. UCP1 was thought that exclusively appears in brown adipose tissue (BAT), which during the mitochondrial electron transport chain process, bypasses the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase to produce heat, as a thermoregulatory mechanism of maintaining body temperature. Its presence in white adipocytes, indicates a thermogenic capacity of WAT, which could lead to similar health benefits as those reported for increased BAT activity; mainly reduced body mass index (BMI) and fat mass, which designate body weight loss and reduced obesity phenotype. The investigators aimed to identify whether UCP1 in human WAT is altered by chronic exercise.
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UCP1 mRNA expression in white adipocytes
Timeframe: Baseline measurements; measurements at the end of the exercise intervention (8th week); measurements at the end of the de-training period (16th week)
UCP1 protein concentration in white adipocytes
Timeframe: Baseline measurements; measurements at the end of the exercise intervention (8th week); measurements at the end of the de-training period (16th week)