Challenge routine, mouse studies confirm that insulin causes obesity
Release date: 2012-12-11 Source: Bio Valley Bifidobacterium Breve,Bifidobacterium Breve Powder,Bifidobacterium Breve Probiotic,Microbiota Bifidobacterium Breve Jiangsu Biodep Biotechnology Co. ,Ltd. , https://www.mbioda.com
When eating too much, we may become obese because the body contains high levels of insulin for a long time. According to a new study, the researchers found that high levels of insulin cause mice to gain weight. This finding challenges a generally held view that increased levels of insulin are secondary consequences of obesity and insulin resistance. The results of the study were published in the December 4 issue of Cell Metabolism.
The new study will help solve the problem of this chicken or egg first, because it confirms that animals that continue to maintain low levels of insulin remain slim even if they indulge in high-fat foods. These findings are the first to demonstrate in a mammal that insulin circulating in the blood can cause obesity.
James Johnson, a researcher at the University of British Columbia in Canada, said the findings and clinical studies have confirmed that long-term use of insulin in diabetic patients often leads to weight gain.
In this study, Johnson and his colleagues used a genetic variant of mice: they have two insulin genes. The gene Insulin1 is mainly found in the pancreas, while the gene insulin2 is present in both the pancreas and the brain. By removing insulin2 and changing the number of copies of the insulin1 gene, the researchers cultured mice that had only changes in fasting blood insulin levels. When fed a diet rich in high fat, mice containing a copy of the insulin1 gene and maintaining a low level of fasting insulin did not become obese at all, and did not even produce any food. They also produce lower levels of inflammation and their livers contain less fat.
Although drugs used to block insulin produce unwanted side effects, so far, this does not mean that these findings may be useful in clinic treatment.