Cold Exposure to Test Fat Burning and Liver Fat in Fatty Liver Disease
Tests whether repeated cold exposure reduces liver fat in overweight adults with fatty liver disease.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Cold-induced Brown Fat Activation and Hepatic Steatosis
Key facts
- Where
- Vienna, AustriaSee the site
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 50 years old?
Source: NCT03811236, who can take part
Where in Austria
- Medical University of ViennaVienna, AustriaTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Medical University of Vienna
- Trial code
- NCT03811236
- Record updated
- 13 March 2024
- Original description
In the recent years, research on brown adipose tissue (BAT) revealed that larger amounts as well as higher activity thereof are associated with a favourable metabolic phenotype. Longitudinal studies which applied recurrent cooling sessions demonstrated a high plasticity of BAT which significantly increased in size and activity during these studies. These changes were accompanied by improvements in body fat mass as well as insulin sensitivity. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is estimated to advance to the primary cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in the following years. Besides predisposing genetic and possibly nutritional factors, the insulin resistance syndrome and obesity are the main factors contributing to this excessive hepatic lipid accumulation.Read full original descriptionShow less
Cold-induced Brown Fat Activation and Hepatic Steatosis
In the recent years, research on brown adipose tissue (BAT) revealed that larger amounts as well as higher activity thereof are associated with a favourable metabolic phenotype. Longitudinal studies which applied recurrent cooling sessions demonstrated a high plasticity of BAT which significantly increased in size and activity during these studies. These changes were accompanied by improvements in body fat mass as well as insulin sensitivity. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is estimated to advance to the primary cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in the following years. Besides predisposing genetic and possibly nutritional factors, the insulin resistance syndrome and obesity are the main factors contributing to this excessive hepatic lipid accumulation.
The aim of this study is to investigate whether BAT recruitment via cold-acclimation results in decreased hepatic lipid content in overweight/obese patients with NAFLD.
Inclusion: body mass index 28 - 40 kg/m\^2; hepatic lipid content > 10 %.
Exclusion: chronic kidney disease; inflammatory bowel disease; active malignant disease; autoimmune disease; positive serology for autoimmune hepatitis; positive hepatitis serology; portal hypertension; endocrine disease, except treated hypo-/hyperthyroidism and hypertriglyceridemia (<500 mg/dl) and untreated type II diabetes mellitus (fasting glucose < 140 mg/dl); serum alpha-1 antitrypsin < 90 mg/dl; serum ceruloplasmin < 20 mg/dl; use of beta-blockers, alpha-blockers and rilmenidine; chronic alcohol abuse or alcohol consumption greater than 30g/d for men or 20 g/d for women; transferrin saturation > 40%; liver cirrhosis; pregnancy; contraindications for magnetic resonance imaging.