Exercise and cold exposure are two stimuli that have been suggested as solely effective to modulate adipose tissue metabolism and improve metabolic health in obese populations. The two primary organs involved in energy metabolism during exercise and/or cold exposure are skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Adipose tissue can be divided mainly into two types: white adipose tissue (WAT), which primarily stores energy, and brown adipose tissue (BAT), known as the primary source of thermogenesis. The exercise-stimulated release of myokines allows for crosstalk between skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, partially mediating the beneficial effects of exercise. Cold exposure is another trigger for the regulation of myokine secretions, thus increasing adipose tissue metabolism, especially via activation of BAT. Therefore, this has generated the hypothesis that exercise in conjunction with cold exposure might be the optimal regimen to regulate myokine profiles and gain more beneficial health effects. However, to date, human experimental data regarding different exercise (frequency, type, time and intensity) and cold exposure (temperature, time and frequency) patterns are scarce. In this review, we will summarize the current human clinical trials investigating the regulation of myokines induced by exercise combined with cold exposure, to elaborate on the roles of myokines in mediating adipose tissue metabolism.
Keywords: adipose tissue; cold exposure; exercise; myokine; skeletal muscle.