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Heart Disease In The News New hormone explains link between obesity and
diabetes A study from the University of Pennsylvania has identified a new hormone - called resistin - which causes the body's cells to become resistant to the effects of insulin. Insulin resistance is the cause of many cases of type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes. It appears that this resistin is produced by the body in response to obesity. Thus, obesity (in certain individuals) results in elevated levels of resistin, which, in turn, results in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Injecting an antibody to resistin in obese, diabetic mice led to an improvement in the diabetes. Finding a drug to block the effect of resistin may be a brand new avenue to the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It will not, unfortunately, be a cure for obesity. Take our poll: Should consumers have access to over-the-counter statins? |
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