Gonadal influences on adiposity.

Gonadal steroids affect energy balance and adiposity in a variety of mammalian species. For example, estradiol acts via multiple, redundant mechanisms to reduce body weight and adiposity. The steroid can act directly in the brain to decrease food intake and stimulate voluntary exercise. Sex hormones may act concurrently in non-neural peripheral tissues to alter metabolic processes and energy balance. White adipose tissue estrogen receptors may mediate estradiol-induced decreases in lipoprotein lipase activity and lipid storage. Finally, estradiol increases energy expenditure independent of any effects on voluntary exercise. Brown adipose tissue is a potential site for estradiol-induced thermogenesis.