New Study Finds Link between Body Temperature and Obesity

According to a study in mice published in the Journal of Neuroscience, reduced ability to maintain body temperature in colder environments may contribute to the development of obesity in adulthood.

Obese and thin mice. Image credit: Shannon Reilly, University of Michigan.

Obese and thin mice. Image credit: Shannon Reilly, University of Michigan.

Energy from food fuels maintenance of a constant body temperature by generating and conserving heat.

Nearly half of the human energy budget spent during a sedentary life is used to maintain a body temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (about 37 degrees Celsius).

A team of researchers from the University of Santiago de Compostela and the University Miguel Hernandez of Alicante, both in Spain, found that, in a mildly cold environment, mice lacking the cold-sensing ion channel TRPM8 consumed more food during the day, when mice are usually asleep.

“The coupling of energy homeostasis to thermoregulation is essential to maintain homeothermy in changing external environments,” said study senior author Dr. Rosa Señarís from the University of Santiago de Compostela and co-authors.

“We studied the role of TRPM8 in this interplay in mice of both sexes, and demonstrated that this cold thermoreceptor is required for a precise thermoregulation in response to cold, in fed and fasting.”

The increased daytime eating started at a young age and led to obesity and high blood sugar in adulthood, which may have been caused in part by reduced fat utilization.

Compared to control animals, the TRPM8-deficient mice lost more body heat in mild cold, particularly during periods of fasting when their body temperature dropped below 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius).

“TRPM8 is required for a precise thermoregulatory response to cold and fasting, playing an important role in tail vasoconstriction, and therefore heat conservation, as well as in the regulation of ingestive behavior and metabolic fuel selection upon cooling,” the researchers explained.

“Indeed, TRPM8-deficient mice housed in a mild cold environment, displayed an increase in tail heat loss and lower core body temperature, associated to the development of late-onset obesity with glucose and lipid metabolic dysfunction.”

“This research reveals a previously unrecognized link between thermal sensing systems, thermoregulation and food intake, which may open up new avenues for preventing and treating obesity,” they said.

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Alfonso Reimúndez et al. Deletion of the cold thermoreceptor TRPM8 increases heat loss and food intake leading to reduced body temperature and obesity in mice. Journal of Neuroscience, published online March 12, 2018; doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3002-17.2018

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