Brown adipose tissue thermogenesis in polycystic ovary syndrome

Summary Objective Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with increased obesity with a greater propensity to weight gain and a lack of sustainable lifestyle interventions. Altered brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis is a potential contributor to obesity in PCOS. BAT activity and modulation have not been studied in PCOS. This observational study explored BAT thermogenesis and its associations in women with and without PCOS. Participants and methods Cutaneous temperature was recorded from supraclavicular (indicator of BAT activity) and upper arm regions using dataloggers (SubCue, Calgary, Canada) in a cross‐sectional substudy, nested within a randomized control trial, of community‐recruited premenopausal women with (n = 47, Rotterdam diagnostic criteria) and without (n = 11) PCOS. Results Complete temperature data were available in 44 PCOS (mean age: 30.0 ± 6.2, mean BMI: 29.3 ± 5.5) and 11 non‐PCOS (mean age: 33.0 ± 7.0, mean BMI: 25 ± 3) women. Women with PCOS had lower supraclavicular skin temperature compared to controls overall (33.9 ± 0.7 vs 34.5 ± 1, P