When adiponectin, which is involved in glucose and lipid metabolism, was introduced into the cerebrospinal fluid of normal mice, they showed no changes in food intake, but their metabolism rose. "The animal burns off more calories, so over time loses weight, which was very fascinating because we knew that leptin caused weight loss by suppressing appetite and increasing metabolic rate," explains Ahima. "Here we have another fat hormone that can cause weight loss but without affecting intake."
For many dieters, it's easy, at first, to lose weight; but over time, it becomes more difficult because the body compensates, in part, by dropping its metabolic rate. "Adiponectin or its targets in the brain and other organs could be harnessed to sustain weight loss by maintaining a high metabolic rate," says Ahima. "This is only a possibility. We're not suggesting at this point that adiponectin will become a drug." In severely obese mice, adiponectin rapidly decreases blood glucose and lipids, while burning fat. Hence, adiponectin could be beneficial in the treatment of diabetes and heart disease associated with obesity.
These findings have far-reaching potential to help fight the war against obesity, which healthcare experts agree has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. "For y
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Contact: Karen Kreeger
Karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu
215-349-5658
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
22-Apr-2004