Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is capable of transforming chemically stored energy, in the form of triglycerides, into heat. Recent studies have shown that metabolically active BAT is present in a large proportion of adult humans, where its activity correlates with a favorable metabolic status. Hence, the tissue is now regarded as an interesting target for therapies against obesity and associated diseases such as type 2 diabetes, the hypothesis being that an induction of BAT would be beneficial for these disease states. Apart from the association between BAT activity and a healthier metabolic status, later studies have also shown a positive correlation between BAT volume and both bone cross-sectional area and bone mineral density, suggesting that BAT might stimulate bone anabolism. The aim of this review is to give the reader a brief overview of the BAT research field and to summarize and discuss recent findings regarding BAT being a potential player in bone metabolism.

棕色脂肪组织（BAT）能够将甘油三酯形式的化学存储能量转化为热量。最近的研究表明，具有代谢活性的BAT存在于大部分成年人中，其中其活性与良好的代谢状态相关。因此，该组织现在被认为是针对肥胖症和相关疾病（如2型糖尿病）的治疗的有趣靶点，其假设是诱导BAT对这些疾病有利。除了BAT活性和更健康的代谢状态之间的关联外，后来的研究还显示BAT体积与骨骼截面积和骨矿物质密度之间呈正相关，这表明BAT可能刺激骨骼合成代谢。