Alcohol, White Adipose Tissue, and Brown Adipose Tissue: Mechanistic Links to Lipogenesis and Lipolysis

Abstract

According to data from the World Health Organization, there were about 3 million deaths caused by alcohol consumption worldwide in 2016, of which about 50% were related to liver disease. Alcohol consumption interfering with the normal function of adipocytes has an important impact on the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease. There has been increasing recognition of the crucial role of adipose tissue in regulating systemic metabolism, far beyond that of an inert energy storage organ in recent years. The endocrine function of adipose tissue is widely recognized, and the significance of the proteins it produces and releases is still being investigated. Alcohol consumption may affect white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT), which interact with surrounding tissues such as the liver and intestines. This review briefly introduces the basic concept and classification of adipose tissue and summarizes the mechanism of alcohol affecting lipolysis and lipogenesis in WAT and BAT. The adipose tissue–liver axis is crucial in maintaining lipid homeostasis within the body. Therefore, this review also demonstrates the effects of alcohol consumption on the adipose tissue–liver axis to explore the role of alcohol consumption in the crosstalk between adipose tissue and the liver.