Body Temperature Actively Controls Metabolism, Study Finds

Lowering Body Temperature Induces Diabetes-Like State in Mice

New research challenges the established view that body temperature is merely a consequence of metabolic activity. Scientists have discovered that body temperature actively regulates metabolism, opening new avenues for potential treatments of metabolic disorders.

Key Development

A team of researchers from the Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS) and the National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS) at the National Institutes Natural Sciences (NINS), including **Ryosuke Enoki**, utilized a unique mouse model known as Q-neuron-induced hypothermia and hypometabolism (QIH). This enabled them to safely lower body temperature in mice, isolating the direct impact of temperature on metabolism.

“The key message is simple but powerful: lowering body temperature alone, without drugs or genetic manipulation, can reversibly induce a diabetes-like state in healthy animals. Just by rewarming, normal metabolism is rapidly restored. This demonstrates that body temperature is not a passive output, but an active regulator of systemic glucose metabolism.”

—Ming-Liang Lee, Assistant Professor

Remarkably, mice in the QIH state exhibited elevated fasting glucose and insulin levels in their blood. Rewarming the mice reversed the hypothermia and normalized both insulin and glucose levels. According to the CDC, over 37 million Americans have diabetes (CDC.gov).

Hibernation and Metabolism

Hibernation is a survival mechanism employed by some mammals to conserve energy during periods of scarcity. While the purpose of this adaptation is clear, the precise mechanisms by which these animals regulate their metabolism and body temperature have remained elusive.

The conventional view suggested that body temperature was dictated by the heat produced during metabolism. Metabolism of glucose, a sugar that provides energy to cells, generates heat. Lower body temperatures conserve energy. Until now, the direct relationship between metabolism and body temperature has been difficult to study.

Impact on Organs

Closer analysis of specific organs revealed that glucose metabolism in brown adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, heart, and brain were significantly lowered in hypothermic mice. This corresponded with decreases in movement and energy consumption. The reversal of high glucose and insulin levels upon rewarming suggests temperature directly impacts glucose metabolism rather than activation of Qrfp neurons.

Future Research

While the team’s discovery challenges the long-standing view that temperature is simply a consequence of metabolic activity, the researchers acknowledge that understanding exactly how temperature affects metabolism will be a significant challenge.

**Ming-Liang Lee** stated, “Our next step is to uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms that link body temperature with glucose regulation across different tissues. Ultimately, we aim to apply this knowledge to develop “therapeutic hypometabolism” strategies capable of temporarily reducing body metabolic stress in diabetic patients or easing systemic inflammation. Long term, we hope this research will open a path toward new, temperature-based interventions for metabolic disease.”