Posterior cervical brown fat and CXCL14 levels in the first year of life: sex differences and association with adiposity

Context: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is particularly abundant in neonates but its association with measures of adiposity and metabolic health in early infancy is poorly delineated. Besides sustaining non-shivering thermogenesis, BAT secretes brown adipokines that act on systemic metabolism. The chemokine CXCL14 has been identified as a brown adipokine in experimental studies.

Objective: To determine the relationships among BAT activity, adiposity and circulating CXCL14 levels in the first year of life in girls and boys.

Design, setting and participants: Indices of fat accretion, circulating endocrine-metabolic parameters and serum CXCL14 levels were assessed longitudinally in a cohort of infants at birth and at 4 and 12 months. BAT activity was estimated using infrared thermography only at age 12 months.

Main outcome measures: Weight and length Z-scores, total and abdominal fat content (by DXA), BAT activity at the posterior-cervical and supraclavicular regions, serum levels of ...