Multiorgan contribution to non-shivering and shivering thermogenesis and vascular responses during gradual cold exposure in humans.

Purpose: Human brown adipose tissue (BAT) is known to be a significant thermoeffector in non-shivering thermogenesis (NST), albeit with individual variations in the BAT activity. We hypothesized that humans with less BAT would have more contribution from the skeletal muscle (SM) to NST or earlier shivering onset and greater vasoconstriction to compensate for less BAT-mediated thermogenesis.

Methods: Eighteen males participated in this study.