# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Adipose Tissue and Metabolism Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/adipose-tissue-and-metabolism/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Adipose Tissue and Metabolism research in the Class of 2026?

Adipose tissue research shifted sharply toward organelle energetics and single-cell resolution in 2024. Mitochondrial dysfunction (10%) and single-nucleus RNA sequencing (8%) experienced rapid growth, while energy expenditure (12%) doubled. Conversely, classical themes like fatty acid β-oxidation (10%) and broad metabolomics (4%) saw reduced relative focus.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Adipose Tissue and Metabolism |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 8,101 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Insulin resistance, energy expenditure, thermogenesis, mitochondrial dysfunction, multi-omics |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 54–439 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved Jul 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | Tirzepatide for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Obesity | Atul Malhotra, Ronald R Grunstein, Ingo Fietze, Terri E Weaver, Susan Redline, Ali Azarbarzin, Scott A Sands, Richard J Schwab, Julia P Dunn, Sujatro Chakladar, Mathijs C Bunck, Josef Bednarik, SURMOUNT-OSA Investigators | Atul Malhotra | University of California, San Diego, United States | New England Journal of Medicine | 439 | 10.1056/nejmoa2404881 |
| 2 | Nonlinear dynamics of multi-omics profiles during human aging | Xiaotao Shen, Chuchu Wang, Xin Zhou, Wenyu Zhou, Daniel Hornburg, Si Wu, Michael P Snyder | M Snyder | Stanford University, United States | Nature Aging | 310 | 10.1038/s43587-024-00692-2 |
| 3 | Adipose tissue retains an epigenetic memory of obesity after weight loss | Laura C Hinte, Daniel Castellano-Castillo, Adhideb Ghosh, Kate Melrose, Emanuel Gasser, Falko Noé, Lucas Massier, Hua Dong, Wenfei Sun, Anne Hoffmann, Christian Wolfrum, Mikael Rydén, Niklas Mejhert, Matthias Blüher, Ferdinand von Meyenn | Ferdinand von Meyenn | ETH Zurich, Switzerland | Nature | 201 | 10.1038/s41586-024-08165-7 |
| 4 | Inhibition of IL-11 signalling extends mammalian healthspan and lifespan | Anissa A Widjaja, Wei-Wen Lim, Sivakumar Viswanathan, Sonia Chothani, Ben Corden, Cibi Mary Dasan, Joyce Wei Ting Goh, Radiance Lim, Brijesh K Singh, Jessie Tan, Chee Jian Pua, Sze Yun Lim, Eleonora Adami, Sebastian Schafer, Benjamin L George, Mark Sweeney, Chen Xie, Madhulika Tripathi, Natalie A Sims, Norbert Hübner, Enrico Petretto, Dominic J Withers, Lena Ho, Jesus Gil, David Carling, Stuart A Cook | Anissa A. Widjaja, Stuart A. Cook | Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, Singapore | Nature | 173 | 10.1038/s41586-024-07701-9 |
| 5 | Temporal dynamics of the multi-omic response to endurance exercise training | MoTrPAC Study Group, Lead Analysts, MoTrPAC Study Group | Sue C. Bodine, Karyn A. Esser, Simon Schenk, Stephen B. Montgomery, M Snyder, Steven A. Carr, Matthew T. Wheeler | Stanford University, United States | Nature | 144 | 10.1038/s41586-023-06877-w |
| 6 | Hypoxia induces mitochondrial protein lactylation to limit oxidative phosphorylation | Yunzi Mao, Jiaojiao Zhang, Qian Zhou, Xiadi He, Zhifang Zheng, Yun Wei, Kaiqiang Zhou, Yan Lin, Haowen Yu, Haihui Zhang, Yineng Zhou, Pengcheng Lin, Baixing Wu, Yiyuan Yuan, Jianyuan Zhao, Wei Xu, Shimin Zhao | Wei Xu, Shimin Zhao | The Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, China | Cell Research | 134 | 10.1038/s41422-023-00864-6 |
| 7 | Lipid droplets and cellular lipid flux | Alyssa J Mathiowetz, James A Olzmann | James A. Olzmann | University of California, Berkeley, United States | Nature Cell Biology | 130 | 10.1038/s41556-024-01364-4 |
| 8 | Overnutrition causes insulin resistance and metabolic disorder through increased sympathetic nervous system activity | Kenichi Sakamoto, Mary A Butera, Chunxue Zhou, Giulia Maurizi, Bandy Chen, Li Ling, Adham Shawkat, Likhitha Patlolla, Kavira Thakker, Victor Calle, Donald A Morgan, Kamal Rahmouni, Gary J Schwartz, Azeddine Tahiri, Christoph Buettner | Christoph Buettner | Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, United States | Cell Metabolism | 81 | 10.1016/j.cmet.2024.09.012 |
| 9 | A brain-to-gut signal controls intestinal fat absorption | Qianqian Lyu, Wenzhi Xue, Ruixin Liu, Qinyun Ma, Vikram Babu Kasaragod, Shan Sun, Qian Li, Yanru Chen, Mingyang Yuan, Yuying Yang, Bing Zhang, Aifang Nie, Sheng Jia, Chongrong Shen, Po Gao, Weifang Rong, Chenxi Yu, Yufang Bi, Chunlei Zhang, Fajun Nan, Guang Ning, Zihe Rao, Xiuna Yang, Jiqiu Wang, Weiqing Wang | Jiqiu Wang, Weiqing Wang | Ruijin Hospital, China | Nature | 80 | 10.1038/s41586-024-07929-5 |
| 10 | Acquisition of epithelial plasticity in human chronic liver disease | Christopher Gribben, Vasileios Galanakis, Alexander Calderwood, Eleanor C Williams, Ruben Chazarra-Gil, Miguel Larraz, Carla Frau, Tobias Puengel, Adrien Guillot, Foad J Rouhani, Krishnaa Mahbubani, Edmund Godfrey, Susan E Davies, Emmanouil Athanasiadis, Kourosh Saeb-Parsy, Frank Tacke, Michael Allison, Irina Mohorianu, Ludovic Vallier | Michael Allison, Irina Mohorianu, Ludovic Vallier | University of Cambridge, United Kingdom | Nature | 76 | 10.1038/s41586-024-07465-2 |
| 11 | Glycolytic enzyme PFKL governs lipolysis by promoting lipid droplet–mitochondria tethering to enhance β-oxidation and tumor cell proliferation | Ying Meng, Dong Guo, Liming Lin, Hong Zhao, Weiting Xu, Shudi Luo, Xiaoming Jiang, Shan Li, Xuxiao He, Rongxuan Zhu, Rongkai Shi, Liwei Xiao, Qingang Wu, Haiyan He, Jingjing Tao, Hongfei Jiang, Zheng Wang, Pengbo Yao, Daqian Xu, Zhimin Lu | Daqian Xu, Zhimin Lu | Zhejiang University, China | Nature Metabolism | 74 | 10.1038/s42255-024-01047-2 |
| 12 | Obesity causes mitochondrial fragmentation and dysfunction in white adipocytes due to RalA activation | Wenmin Xia, Preethi Veeragandham, Yu Cao, Yayun Xu, Torrey E Rhyne, Jiaxin Qian, Chao-Wei Hung, Peng Zhao, Ying Jones, Hui Gao, Christopher Liddle, Ruth T Yu, Michael Downes, Ronald M Evans, Mikael Rydén, Martin Wabitsch, Zichen Wang, Hiroyuki Hakozaki, Johannes Schöneberg, Shannon M Reilly, Jianfeng Huang, Alan R Saltiel | Alan R. Saltiel | University of California San Diego, United States | Nature Metabolism | 72 | 10.1038/s42255-024-00978-0 |
| 13 | Trigonelline is an NAD+ precursor that improves muscle function during ageing and is reduced in human sarcopenia | Mathieu Membrez, Eugenia Migliavacca, Stefan Christen, Keisuke Yaku, Jennifer Trieu, Alaina K Lee, Francesco Morandini, Maria Pilar Giner, Jade Stiner, Mikhail V Makarov, Emma S Garratt, Maria F Vasiloglou, Lucie Chanvillard, Emilie Dalbram, Amy M Ehrlich, José Luis Sanchez-Garcia, Carles Canto, Leonidas G Karagounis, Jonas T Treebak, Marie E Migaud, Ramin Heshmat, Farideh Razi, Neerja Karnani, Afshin Ostovar, Farshad Farzadfar, Stacey K H Tay, Matthew J Sanders, Karen A Lillycrop, Keith M Godfrey, Takashi Nakagawa, Sofia Moco, René Koopman, Gordon S Lynch, Vincenzo Sorrentino, Jerome N Feige | Vincenzo Sorrentino, Jérôme N. Feige | Nestlé Research, Switzerland | Nature Metabolism | 72 | 10.1038/s42255-024-00997-x |
| 14 | Cardiometabolic characteristics of people with metabolically healthy and unhealthy obesity | Max C Petersen, Gordon I Smith, Hector H Palacios, Sarah S Farabi, Mihoko Yoshino, Jun Yoshino, Kevin Cho, Victor G Davila-Roman, Mahalakshmi Shankaran, Ruteja A Barve, Jinsheng Yu, Jennifer H Stern, Bruce W Patterson, Marc K Hellerstein, Gerald I Shulman, Gary J Patti, Samuel Klein | Samuel Klein | Washington University in St. Louis, United States | Cell Metabolism | 70 | 10.1016/j.cmet.2024.03.002 |
| 15 | Environmental concentrations of 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone induce hepatic lipid metabolism disorders in male black-spotted frogs | Zhiquan Liu, Yixuan Feng, Wenhui Sun, Bingyi Wang, Chaoli Shi, Ruixue Ran, Yinan Zhang, Liping Lu, Hangjun Zhang | Liping Lu, Hangjun Zhang | Hangzhou Normal University, China | Journal of Hazardous Materials | 67 | 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136400 |
| 16 | Leptin-activated hypothalamic BNC2 neurons acutely suppress food intake | Han L Tan, Luping Yin, Yuqi Tan, Jessica Ivanov, Kaja Plucinska, Anoj Ilanges, Brian R Herb, Putianqi Wang, Christin Kosse, Paul Cohen, Dayu Lin, Jeffrey M Friedman | Jeffrey M. Friedman | The Rockefeller University, United States | Nature | 62 | 10.1038/s41586-024-08108-2 |
| 17 | IgG is an aging factor that drives adipose tissue fibrosis and metabolic decline | Lexiang Yu, Qianfen Wan, Qiongming Liu, Yong Fan, Qiuzhong Zhou, Alicja A Skowronski, Summer Wang, Zhengping Shao, Chen-Yu Liao, Lei Ding, Brian K Kennedy, Shan Zha, Jianwen Que, Charles A LeDuc, Lei Sun, Liheng Wang, Li Qiang | Liheng Wang, Li Qiang | Columbia University, United States | Cell Metabolism | 59 | 10.1016/j.cmet.2024.01.015 |
| 18 | BCAA-nitrogen flux in brown fat controls metabolic health independent of thermogenesis | Anthony R P Verkerke, Dandan Wang, Naofumi Yoshida, Zachary H Taxin, Xu Shi, Shuning Zheng, Yuka Li, Christopher Auger, Satoshi Oikawa, Jin-Seon Yook, Melia Granath-Panelo, Wentao He, Guo-Fang Zhang, Mami Matsushita, Masayuki Saito, Robert E Gerszten, Evanna L Mills, Alexander S Banks, Yasushi Ishihama, Phillip J White, Robert W McGarrah, Takeshi Yoneshiro, Shingo Kajimura | Shingo Kajimura | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, United States | Cell | 59 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.030 |
| 19 | Unveiling adipose populations linked to metabolic health in obesity | Isabel Reinisch, Adhideb Ghosh, Falko Noé, Wenfei Sun, Hua Dong, Peter Leary, Arne Dietrich, Anne Hoffmann, Matthias Blüher, Christian Wolfrum | Matthias Blüher, Christian Wolfrum | ETH Zurich, Switzerland | Cell Metabolism | 59 | 10.1016/j.cmet.2024.11.006 |
| 20 | A β-hydroxybutyrate shunt pathway generates anti-obesity ketone metabolites | Maria Dolores Moya-Garzon, Mengjie Wang, Veronica L Li, Xuchao Lyu, Wei Wei, Alan Sheng-Hwa Tung, Steffen H Raun, Meng Zhao, Laetitia Coassolo, Hashim Islam, Barbara Oliveira, Yuqin Dai, Jan Spaas, Antonio Delgado-Gonzalez, Kenyi Donoso, Aurora Alvarez-Buylla, Francisco Franco-Montalban, Anudari Letian, Catherine P Ward, Lichao Liu, Katrin J Svensson, Emily L Goldberg, Christopher D Gardner, Jonathan P Little, Steven M Banik, Yong Xu, Jonathan Z Long | Yong Xu, Jonathan Z. Long | Stanford University, United States | Cell | 54 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.10.032 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

Research in the Class of 2026 (2024 publications) for Adipose Tissue and Metabolism is anchored by foundational cardiometabolic mechanisms, with insulin resistance leading overall thematic representation across 14% of highly cited studies. Core energetic processes remain central, prominently featuring energy expenditure (12%) and thermogenic regulation (12%), alongside fatty acid β-oxidation (10%) and metabolic dysfunction in fatty liver disease (10%). High-impact literature increasingly investigates organelle-level perturbations, marked by a strong focus on mitochondrial dysfunction (10%), oxidative metabolism (8%), and lipid droplet dynamics (8%). Methodologically, the field exhibits a decisive shift toward high-resolution single-cell and systemic profiling, heavily driven by single-nucleus RNA sequencing (8%) and multi-omics integration (8%). These interconnected themes highlight a broader scientific transition from observational lipid physiology toward precise molecular dissecting of how brown, white, and visceral adipose depots control systemic insulin sensitivity, cellular senescence, and inter-organ metabolic crosstalk under diet-induced stress.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

Comparing the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026 reveals a significant shift from classical descriptive lipid storage toward high-resolution single-cell genomics and organelle energetics. The most dramatic thematic acceleration is led by mitochondrial dysfunction, which rose fivefold from a 2% mention rate in 2023 to 10% in 2024. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing similarly quadrupled to 8%, underscoring the rapid adoption of single-cell transcriptomics to resolve adipose cellular heterogeneity. Furthermore, energy expenditure doubled to 12%, while multi-omics integration and diet-induced obesity models emerged as prominent new drivers in top-cited literature. Conversely, traditional bioenergetic categories experienced relative declines in research concentration. Fatty acid β-oxidation decreased from 16% to 10%, brown adipose tissue dropped from 14% to 8%, and broad metabolomics profiling fell from 12% to 4%. Together, these trajectories demonstrate a structural migration in adipose metabolism research away from global metabolite profiling and toward cell-type-specific transcriptional regulation, mitochondrial quality control, and functional organelle remodeling.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Adipose Tissue and Metabolism Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/adipose-tissue-and-metabolism/2026. Accessed 2026-07-22.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
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