ScienceDaily (Dec. 4, 2012) — When we eat too
much, obesity may develop as a result of chronically high insulin levels, not
the other way around. That's according to new evidence in mice reported in the
December 4th Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, which challenges
the widespread view that rising insulin is a secondary consequence of obesity
and insulin resistance.
The
new study helps to solve this chicken-or-the-egg dilemma by showing that
animals with persistently lower insulin stay trim even as they indulge
themselves on a high-fat, all-you-can-eat buffet. The findings come as some of
the first direct evidence in mammals that circulating insulin itself drives
obesity, the researchers say.
The
results are also consistent with clinical studies showing that long-term
insulin use by people with diabetes tends to come with weight gain, says James
Johnson of the University of British Columbia.
"We
are very inclined to think of insulin as either good or bad, but it's
neither," Johnson said. "This doesn't mean anyone should stop taking
insulin; there are nuances and ranges at which insulin levels are
optimal."
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