Fig. 9

Cold-induced glucose overconsumption drives lipolysis but interferes with the gut microbiota. We delineate the importance of glucagon-mediated hepatic glycogenolysis for glucose homeostasis during cold exposure by using Min pig (cold-adapted) models and Yorkshire pig (non-cold-adapted) models. Moreover, we reveal that lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation under chronic cold exposure result from excessive glucose consumption. It should be particularly emphasized that cold-induced glucose overconsumption is detrimental to colonic microbiota and mucosal immunity, although lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation contribute to thermogenesis to maintain a stable internal body temperature