Past, present, and future of thermogenic fat research: A bibliometric analysis from 2000 to 2023.

Authors

Haiyan Xie, Lan Chen, Boyuan Long, Xudong Song, Mingsheng Jiang, Ziyi Song

Published in

Medicine. Volume 105. Issue 24. Pages e49210. Jun 12, 2026.

Abstract

Thermogenic fat plays a crucial role in regulating energy metabolism and improving obesity-related metabolic diseases. However, a systematic analysis of the research trends and hotspots in the field of thermogenic fat is lacking. This study aimed to fill this gap by employing bibliometric methods to analyze the global research landscape of thermogenic fat from 2000 to 2023.
A systematic search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection to retrieve publications related to thermogenic fat. Various bibliometric tools (HistCite, CiteSpace, and VOSviewer) were used to analyze and visualize the data, including annual publication trends, geographical distribution, institutional and author contributions, citation analysis, and keyword analysis.
A comprehensive search yielded a total of 5246 English-language articles, revealing a significant upward trend in the number of publications focused on thermogenic fat over the past 24 years. The United States stands out as the most productive country, with Harvard University emerging as the leading research institution in this field. Bruce M. Spiegelman was identified as a pivotal figure in advancing thermogenic fat research. The journals that have published the highest number of articles in this field include Molecular Metabolism, Journal of Biological Chemistry, and Scientific Reports, with Cell Metabolism receiving the highest number of citations. The primary research keywords cluster into 9 distinct categories, with the most frequently occurring terms being "obesity," "brown adipose tissue," "thermogenesis," "brown adipocytes," "energy expenditure," "browning," "UCP1," "beige fat," and "type 2 diabetes." Notably, white fat browning and beige fat have emerged as cutting-edge research trends.
This investigation provides a comprehensive overview of the global research trends in thermogenic fat through bibliometric analysis. Enhanced insights into the historical development and evolutionary trajectory of this field offer a novel perspective on potential future research avenues. The findings of this study are poised to serve as an invaluable resource for researchers, thereby fostering continued advancement in the study of thermogenic fat.

PMID:
42299535
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 16 Jun 2026.

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