Infrared Thermography for Estimating Supraclavicular Skin Temperature and BAT Activity in Humans: A Systematic Review. Issue 12 (5th November 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jimenez‐Pavon, David; Corral‐Perez, Juan; Sánchez‐Infantes, David; Villarroya, Francesc; Ruiz, Jonatan R.; Martinez‐Tellez, Borja
• Is Part Of: Obesity. Volume 27:Issue 12(2019)
• Page Start: 1932
• Page End: 1949
• Publication Date: 2019-11-05
• Subjects: Obesity -- Periodicals; 616.398005
• DOI: 10.1002/oby.22635
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1930-7381

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a thermogenic tissue with potential as a therapeutic target in the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders. The most used technique for quantifying human BAT activity is the measurement of 18 F‐fluorodeoxyglucose uptake via a positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan following exposure to cold. However, several studies have indicated the measurement of the supraclavicular skin temperature (SST) by infrared thermography (IRT) to be a less invasive alternative. This work reviews the state of the art of this latter method as a means of determining BAT activity in humans. Methods: The data sources for this review were PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost (SPORTdiscus), and eligible studies were those conducted in humans. Results: In most studies in which participants were first cooled, an increase in IRT‐measured SST was noted. However, only 5 of 24 such studies also involved a nuclear technique that confirmed increased activity in BAT, and only 2 took into account the thickness of the fat layer when measuring SST by IRT. Conclusions: More work is needed to understand the involvement of tissues other than BAT in determining IRT‐measured SST; at present, IRT cannot determine whether any increase in SST is due to increased BAT activity.