All mammals own two main forms of fat. The classical white adipose tissue builds 
up energy in the form of triglycerides and is useful for preventing fatigue 
during periods of low caloric intake and the brown adipose tissue instead of 
inducing fat accumulation can produce energy as heat. Since adult humans possess 
significant amounts of active brown fat depots and their mass inversely 
correlates with adiposity, brown fat might play an important role in human 
obesity and energy homeostasis. New evidence suggests two types of thermogenic 
adipocytes with distinct developmental and anatomical features: classical brown 
adipocytes and beige adipocytes. Beige adipocyte has recently attracted special 
interest because of its ability to dissipate energy and the possible ability to 
differentiate itself from white adipocytes. Importantly, adult human brown 
adipocyte appears to be mainly composed of beige-like adipocytes, making this 
cell type an attractive therapeutic target for obesity and obesity-related 
diseases. Because many epigenetic changes can affect beige adipocyte 
differentiation, the knowledge of the circumstances that affect the development 
of beige adipocyte cells may be important for therapeutic strategies. In this 
review we discuss some recent observations arising from the great physiological 
capacity of these cells and their possible role as ways to treat obesity and 
diabetes mellitus type 2.