Category: Metabolic Disorders

Categories : Medical Research & Technology Metabolic DisordersTags :

Breakthrough in Development of an Oral Insulin Tablet

On By ModernMedia
Source: Danilo Alvesd on Unsplash

A team of researchers working on developing oral insulin tablets as a replacement for daily insulin injections have made a game-changing discovery, which they published in Scientific Reports. The University of British Columbia team found that it’s not so much the composition of the pill so much as where it’s absorbed.

Researchers have discovered that insulin from the latest version of their oral tablets is absorbed by rats in the same way that injected insulin is.

“These exciting results show that we are on the right track in developing an insulin formulation that will no longer need to be injected before every meal, improving the quality of life, as well as mental health, of more than nine million Type 1 diabetics around the world.” said Professor Anubhav Pratap-Singh, the principal investigator.

He said the inspiration behind the search for a non-injectable insulin comes from his diabetic father, who has had to inject insulin for the past 15 years.

According to Dr Alberto Baldelli, they are now seeing nearly 100% of the insulin from their tablets go straight into the liver. In previous attempts to develop a drinkable insulin, most of the insulin would accumulate in the stomach.

“Even after two hours of delivery, we did not find any insulin in the stomachs of the rats we tested. It was all in the liver and this is the ideal target for insulin – it’s really what we wanted to see,” said PhD candidate Yigong Guo, first author of the study.

Changing the mode of delivery

When it comes to insulin delivery, injections are not the most comfortable or convenient for diabetes patients. But with several other oral insulin alternatives also being tested and developed, the UBC team worked to solve where and how to facilitate a higher absorption rate.

The team instead developed a different kind of tablet that isn’t made for swallowing, but instead dissolves when placed between the gum and cheek.

This method makes use of the buccal mucosa to deliver all the insulin to the liver without wasting or decomposing any insulin along the way.

“For injected insulin we usually need 100iu per shot. Other swallowed tablets being developed that go to the stomach might need 500iu of insulin, which is mostly wasted, and that’s a major problem we have been trying to work around,” explained Yigong.

Most swallowed insulin tablets in development tend to release insulin slowly over two to four hours, while fast-release injected insulin can be fully released in 30–120 minutes.

“Similar to the rapid-acting insulin injection, our oral delivery tablet absorbs after half an hour and can last for about two to four hours long,” said Dr Baldelli.

Potential broad benefits

The study is yet to go into human trials, and for this to happen Prof Pratap-Singh says they will require more time, funding and collaborators. But beyond the clear potential benefits to diabetics, he says the tablet they are developing could also be more sustainable, cost-effective and accessible.

“More than 300 000 Canadians have to inject insulin multiple times per day,” Prof Pratap-Singh said. “That is a lot of environmental waste from the needles and plastic from the syringe that might not be recycled and go to landfill, which wouldn’t be a problem with an oral tablet.”

He explains that their hope is to reduce the cost of insulin per dose since their oral alternative could be cheaper and easier to make. Pills would be easier for diabetics as well, since currently their doses need to be kept cool.

Source: University of British Columbia

Categories : Metabolic DisordersTags :

Early Diabetes, Hypertension Accelerates Development of Glaucoma

On By ModernMedia
Credit: National Eye Institute

Developing Type 2 diabetes or hypertension earlier in life is linked to the earlier development of the most common form of glaucoma, according to a study published in Clinical Ophthalmology. These findings could lead to better screening protocols for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, which makes up nearly 90% of all cases of glaucoma.

“Currently, we lack the tools to cure glaucoma, but with enough advanced notice, we can preserve patients’ vision. Early detection of glaucoma is the key to better control of intraocular pressure and preventing blindness,” said study leader Karanjit Kooner, MD, PhD, MBA, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at UTSW.

Tens of millions of people have POAG around the globe. Because this disease has few symptoms in its earliest stages, Dr. Kooner explained, patients are frequently diagnosed in its later stages when vision has already been permanently damaged. Although researchers have identified several risk factors for POAG – including Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, migraines, and obstructive sleep apnoea — how they might influence the onset of POAG is not well understood.

To answer this question, Dr Kooner and his colleagues collected data from the medical records of 389 of his patients with POAG. The researchers found no link between migraines and/or obstructive sleep apnoea and the age of POAG onset. However, the researchers found that the age of Type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension diagnosis was significantly linked with the onset of POAG – the earlier patients presented with either or both of these conditions, the earlier they tended to develop POAG.

Dr Kooner noted that both Type 2 diabetes and hypertension are diseases that affect blood vessels of both the optic nerve and retina, thus potentially causing changes that predispose patients to POAG, another condition with a vascular root. If these connections hold up in future research, he said, Type 2 diabetes and hypertension could be added to the list of factors that can trigger POAG screening — including a family history of POAG, elevated intraocular pressure, and Black race — and lead to earlier diagnosis of POAG, preserving patients’ vision and quality of life.

Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center

Categories : COVID Metabolic DisordersTags :

Youth-onset Type 2 Diabetes Increased 77% During COVID Pandemic

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya on Unsplash

Published in The Journal of Pediatrics, a study reviewing medical records has found that new diagnoses of type 2 diabetes in children has surged 77% since the pandemic, accelerating a trend that is already a great concern for parents and healthcare professionals.

The new analysis documented the rise in cases with measures of increased body mass index (BMI) and higher blood glucose and haemoglobin A1c test results.

During the first year of the pandemic, medical records showed that more boys (55%) were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than girls (45%), a reversal of the percentages during the pre-pandemic years.

In addition, during the pre-pandemic years, more patients were diagnosed while outpatients (57%) than during the pandemic year, when more were diagnosed and treated as inpatients (57%), suggesting greater severity.

Overall, the researchers found that 21% of the young people diagnosed presented with “metabolic decompensation,” of which the most serious symptoms include vomiting, lethargy, confusion and rapid breathing. Pre-pandemic, such symptoms occurred in only 9% of children with new-onset type 2 diabetes. Because the study involved a retrospective review of medical records, the investigators say there is a potential for inconsistencies in reporting or missing information.

“It used to be rare to hear about a child with type 2 diabetes, but its prevalence in adolescents has almost doubled in the past 20 years,” said Dr Kesley. “Type 2 diabetes is associated with rapidly progressive disease and early onset of complications and, unfortunately, was on the rise even prior to the COVID pandemic.”

Data suggests diagnoses of type 2 diabetes in children are increasing by 4 to 5% per year. The COVID pandemic introduced multiple challenges and increased attention to children with pre-existing disorders such as diabetes.

“In the spring of 2020 we were inundated with new youth-onset type 2 diabetes cases,” said Dr Kelsey. “We were used to seeing 50-60 new cases per year and that increased to more than 100 new cases in a year. Colleagues at other institutions were seeing the same thing, so we gathered a team of researchers to evaluate the frequency and severity of new cases during the first year of the pandemic compared to the mean of the prior two years. It was challenging because there is not a funded national registry for youth-onset type 2 diabetes, so this work was done with an enormous and voluntary effort of investigators across the country who are dedicated to treating diabetes in youth.

“To our knowledge, this is the first multicentre study to report the impact of the COVID pandemic on rates of newly diagnosed youth onset type 2 diabetes,” Dr Kesley said. “We found that the pandemic was associated with an increase in new type 2 diabetes cases compared to the two prior years, as well as an increase in proportion of youth presenting in metabolic decompensation.”

Contributing factors could be stem from the immense behavioural and environmental changes since the onset of the pandemic. Worldwide, children were enrolled in school virtually, extracurricular activities were limited and daily routines were adjusted to decrease the potential exposure to COVID. Consequences of this included increased screen time, unhealthy eating habits, decreased physical activity and poor sleep habits, which all have associations with increased BMI.

Whether COVID infection was the direct cause for the increase, or just associated with environmental changes and stressors during the pandemic is unclear. “Further studies are needed to determine whether this rise is limited to the United States and whether it will persist over time,” said Dr Kesley. “There is still a lot of work to be done.”

Source: EurekAlert!

Categories : Ethics and Law Metabolic DisordersTags :

Major Review Urges Tackling of Weight Stigma in Healthcare

On By ModernMedia
Obesity
Image source: Pixabay CC0

Weight stigma is a negative bias known to limit both access to health services and treatments. A joint international consensus statement was recently published in Nature, aiming to end weight stigma in healthcare globally.

Researchers conducted a large review of over 3700 studies to evaluate weight stigma reduction strategies in healthcare practice and healthcare education, with a view to provide recommendations for interventions, learning, and research. The findings, published in Obesity Reviews, indicate that there is a need to move away from a weight-centric approach to healthcare.

Lead author, Dr Anastasia Kalea said: “Sadly healthcare, including general practice, is one of the most common settings for weight stigmatisation and we know this acts as a barrier to the services and treatments that can help people manage weight.

“A common misconception among medics and others, is that obesity is caused by factors within a person’s control, focusing on diet and exercise without recognition of, for instance, social and environmental determinants.

“In this review, it was clear more needs to be done to educate healthcare professionals and medical students on the complex range of factors regulating body weight, and to address weight stigma, explicitly emphasising its prevalence, origins, and impact.”

Researchers undertook a systematic review of 3773 international research articles. This included 25 weight stigma interventional initiatives, comprising a total of 3554 participants.

Weight-inclusive approaches to education in healthcare were identified as effective in challenging stereotypes and improving attitudes. They identified stigma reduction strategies in healthcare, which included ethics seminars discussing patient experiences, embedding virtual story-telling of patient case studies, or empathy evoking activities in the curriculum, such as following a calorie restricted diet or participation in clinical encounters with patients living with overweight and obesity. However, other methods such as video presentations and short lectures were not equally effective in improving attitudes in the long term.

Researchers are now calling on medical schools in both the UK and globally to ensure effective and sustained weight-inclusive teaching is embedded in medical doctor training and is added to the continuing professional development of clinicians.

Dr Kalea said: “Weight stigma needs to be addressed early on and continuously throughout healthcare education and practice, by teaching the genetic and socioenvironmental determinants of weight, by discussing the sources, impact and recognising the implications of stigma on treatment. We need to move away from a solely weight-centric approach to healthcare to a health-focussed weight-inclusive one. And it is equally important to assess the effects of weight stigma in epidemiological research.”

The urgency of tackling the obesity and overweight has been brought to the fore by evidence of the link to an increased risk from COVID.

Dr Kalea added: “Stigma reduction interventions are a current research priority. Improving the ways we educate healthcare professionals early on is a starting point, keeping the focus on our patients; we need to communicate better, listen carefully to our patients needs and let these inform our teaching and research agendas.”

Weight stigma is also known to cause ‘internalised weight bias’ (IWB), which is when a person applies negative societal or cultural beliefs about body weight to themselves. This can lead to psychological distress, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and often leads to decreased health motivation and maladaptive coping such as avoidance of timely healthcare, social isolation, reduced physical activity and disordered eating behaviours.

Weight stigma has also been shown to increase risk of developing obesity, and healthcare is one of the most common contexts where weight stigmatisation occurs. Physicians have been reported as the second most common source of weight stigma and discrimination.

Source: University College London

Categories : Metabolic Disorders PaediatricsTags :

Dulaglutide Achieves Glycaemic Control in Diabetic Youths

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya on Unsplash

A trial testing dulaglutide in children and adolescents with diabetes found that it was effective in achieving glycaemic control. The findings, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest that dulaglutide may be a more convenient pharmacological treatment for youths.

The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing among youths, and metformin has shown high treatment failure against a backdrop of greater insulin resistance and deterioration in β-cell function than in adults. Daily liraglutide and weekly exenatide, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, are available, but have complicated administration and exenatide is available only at a single dose level, making it harder to escalate glycaemic control. The researchers sought to determine whether once-weekly treatment with dulaglutide was effective with regard to glycaemic control in youths with type 2 diabetes.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 26-week trial, 154 participants (aged 10–17; body-mass index [BMI], >85th percentile) being treated with lifestyle modifications alone or with metformin, with or without basal insulin, were randomised in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive once-weekly subcutaneous injections of placebo, dulaglutide at a dose of 0.75mg, or dulaglutide at a dose of 1.5 mg. Participants were then included in a 26-week open-label extension study in which those who had received placebo began receiving dulaglutide at a weekly dose of 0.75mg.

At 26 weeks, the mean glycated haemoglobin level had increased in the placebo group (0.6%) and had decreased in the dulaglutide groups compared to placebo (–0.6% in the 0.75mg group and −0.9% in the 1.5mg group). At 26 weeks, a significantly higher percentage of participants in the pooled dulaglutide groups than in the placebo group had a glycated haemoglobin level of less than 7.0% (51% vs 14%), which was a secondary endpoint. The fasting glucose concentration increased in the placebo group (17.1mg/dL) and decreased in the pooled dulaglutide groups (−18.9mg/dL), and BMI did not change between groups. More gastrointestinal adverse events were reported in dulaglutide therapy than with placebo, and dulaglutide’s safety profile was consistent with that reported in adults.

Overall, the researchers concluded that dulaglutide at a once-weekly dose of 0.75mg or 1.5mg was superior to placebo in improving glycaemic control through 26 weeks among youths with type 2 diabetes (with or without metformin or basal insulin), without an effect on BMI.

Categories : Cancer Metabolic DisordersTags :

Cancer Incidence Driven by Insulin Dosage

On By ModernMedia
Image depicting diabetes
Image by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels

A study published in the JAMA Oncology looking at the correlation between daily insulin dose and cancer incidence among patients with type 1 diabetes has found that higher insulin dose is positively associated with cancer incidence and that the association is stronger among those with insulin resistance.

“In patients with type 1 diabetes, our results show that traditional metabolic factors such as obesity (represented by body mass index), sugar control (by Haemoglobin A1c), and blood pressure control do not associate with cancer incidence,” study leader Dr Yuanjie Mao Mao said. “However, cancer incidence was higher for those who took larger dose of insulin. Our results implied that clinicians might need to balance the potential cancer risk when treating patients with type 1 diabetes on a high daily insulin dose or that improving insulin sensitivity may be preferred than simply increasing the insulin dose.”

To conduct the study, Dr Mao collaborated with Wenjun Zhong, PhD, an epidemiologist of Merck Research Labs, to analyse the associations of more than 50 common risk factors in 1303 patients with type 1 diabetes whose data were collected over 28 years. A variety of databases were drawn upon and analysed, including he Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT.) which was was a controlled clinical trial originating with 1441 patients with type 1 diabetes who were randomised into conventional diabetes therapy or intensive therapy to assess whether reducing hyperglycaemia would decrease the risk of complications of type 1 diabetes.

Mao also found that age and sex are associated with cancer incidence when evaluated separately and that a daily insulin dose posed a higher risk of cancer than age, especially a higher insulin dose. According to the paper, when the daily insulin dose is classified into three groups, low: less than 0.5; medium: greater than or equal to 0.5 or lower than 0.8; and high: greater than or equal to 0.8 units/kg per day, the hazard ratios were significantly higher in the high dose versus the low dose group. Cancer incidence was 2.11, 2.87, and 2.91 per 1000 persons in the low, medium, and high insulin dose groups, respectively.

He went on to explain that specifically, women carry a higher risk than men; however, it was unclear what risk factors may contribute to the higher cancer incidence in type 1 diabetes.

“We know that people with type 1 diabetes have a higher incidence of cancer compared to people without diabetes,” Liz Beverly, Ph.D. co-director of the diabetes institute and professor in the Heritage College, said. “Dr. Mao’s research identifies a potential mechanism to explain this association. His findings will lead to continued research in this area and potential policy changes in cancer screening and insulin dosing recommendations.”

Although previous studies have concluded that patients with diabetes have a higher risk of cancer in general, this is the first study to explore the associated cancer incidence factors in type 1 diabetes. 

“Type 1 diabetes accounts for an estimated five to 10 percent of all diabetes cases, and recent studies in type 1 diabetes also found a higher incidence of certain cancers such as stomach, liver, pancreas, endometrium and kidney cancers in the population compared with the general population,” Mao explained. “Whereas, in type 2 diabetes, increased risk is attributed to metabolic factors such as obesity, chronic inflammation status, and insulin resistance.”

Although the results of the study suggest that the higher the dose of insulin, the higher the cancer incidence, Dr Mao says further investigation is still necessary.

Source: Ohio State University

Categories : Mental Health Metabolic DisordersTags :

Migraine Drug Could be Beneficial for Weight Loss

On By ModernMedia
Obesity
Image source: Pixabay CC0

The commonly prescribed triptans, a class of migraine drugs, may be useful in treating obesity, a new study published in Journal of Experimental Medicine suggests. In studies on obese mice, a daily dose of a triptan caused them to eat less food and lose weight over the course of a month.

“We’ve shown that there is real potential to repurpose these drugs, which are already known to be safe, for appetite suppression and weight loss,” said study leader Chen Liu, PhD.

Serotonin has long been known to play a key role in appetite. However, there are 15 different serotonin receptors. Researchers have struggled to understand the role of each serotonin receptor in appetite, and previous drugs, including fen-phen and lorcaserin, that targeted certain individual receptors have been withdrawn from the market due to side effects.

Triptans, which are used to treat acute migraines and cluster headaches, work by targeting a different receptor — the serotonin 1B receptor (Htr1b) — that had not previously been well studied in the context of appetite and weight loss, said Dr Liu.

For the new study, the researchers tested six prescription triptans in obese mice that were fed a high-fat diet for seven weeks. Mice fed two of these drugs ate about the same amount, but mice fed the other four ate less. After 24 days, mice given a daily dose of the drug frovatriptan lost, on average, 3.6% of their body weight, while mice not given a triptan gained an average of 5.1% of their body weight. The researchers saw similar results when they implanted devices into the animals that gave them a steady dose of frovatriptan for 24 days.

“We found that these drugs, and one in particular, can lower body weight and improve glucose metabolism in less than a month, which is pretty impressive,” said Dr Liu.

Since triptans are generally prescribed for short-term use during migraines, Dr Liu suspects that patients would not have noticed the longer-term impacts on appetite and weight in the past.

To determine exactly how frovatriptan impacts food intake and weight, the researchers engineered mice to lack either Htr1b or Htr2c, the serotonin receptor targeted by fen-phen and lorcaserin. In mice without Htr1b, frovatriptan no longer could decrease appetite or cause weight loss, while cutting out Htr2c had no effect. This confirmed that the drug worked by targeting the serotonin 1B receptor.

“This finding could be important for drug development,” said Dr Liu. “We not only shed light on the potential to repurpose existing triptans but also brought attention to Htr1b as a candidate to treat obesity and regulate food intake.”

Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center

Categories : Metabolic DisordersTags :

Just Looking at a Meal Triggers Inflammation

On By ModernMedia
A hamburger
Photo by Ilya Mashkov on Unsplash

Insulin is released just by the sight and smell of a meal, but now, researchers report in Cell Metabolism that this insulin release depends on a short-term inflammatory response that takes place in these circumstances. In overweight individuals, however, this inflammatory response is so excessive that it can impair insulin secretion.

Even the anticipation of a forthcoming meal triggers a series of responses in the body. Insulin is released in this neurally mediated (or cephalic) phase of insulin secretion.

Meal stimulates immune defence

Until now, it was unclear how the sensory perception of a meal generated a signal to the pancreas to ramp up insulin production. Now, researchers from the University of Basel and University Hospital Basel have identified an important piece of the puzzle: an inflammatory factor known as interleukin 1 beta (IL1B), which is also involved in the immune response to pathogens or in tissue damage.

“The fact that this inflammatory factor is responsible for a considerable proportion of normal insulin secretion in healthy individuals is surprising, because it’s also involved in the development of type 2 diabetes,” explained study leader Professor Marc Donath from the Department of Biomedicine and the Clinic of Endocrinology.

Chronic inflammation damaging the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas is one of the causes of type 2 diabetes. This is another situation in which IL1B plays a key role – in this case, it is produced and secreted in excessively large quantities. Thus, researchers are investigating whether inhibiting IL1B could be a treatment for diabetes.

Short-lived inflammatory response

Circumstances are different when it comes to neurally mediated insulin secretion: “The smell and sight of a meal stimulate specific immune cells in the brain known as the microglia,” said study author Dr Sophia Wiedemann, resident physician for internal medicine. “These cells briefly secrete IL1B, which in turn affects the autonomic nervous system via the vagus nerve.” This system then relays the signal to the pancreas.

In the case of morbid obesity, however, this neurally mediated phase of insulin secretion is disrupted. Specifically, by the initial excessive inflammatory response, as explained by doctoral candidate Kelly Trimigliozzi, who carried out the main part of the study in collaboration with Dr Wiedemann.

“Our results indicate that IL1B plays an important role in linking up sensory information such as the sight and smell of a meal with subsequent neurally mediated insulin secretion – and in regulating this connection,” Prof Marc Donath said.

Source: EurekAlert!

Categories : Implants and Prostheses Metabolic DisordersTags :

A Soft Robotic Design for Diabetic Amputee Pain Relief

On By ModernMedia
Proof-of-concept rendering (left) and photo (right) of the prototype of the new microfluidics-enabled soft robotic prosthesis for lower limb amputees.
Credit: Waterloo Microfluidics Laboratory at University of Waterloo

Diabetic amputations often involve neuropathy, and patients detect damage resulting from an ill-fitting prosthesis, leading to further amputation. To solve this, in Biomicrofluidics, scientists described a new type of prosthetic using microfluidics-enabled soft robotics that reduces skin ulcerations and pain in patients who have had an amputation between the ankle and knee.

More than 80% of lower-limb amputations are due to diabetic foot ulcers, and the lower limb is known to swell at unpredictable times, resulting in volume changes of 10% or more.

Typically, the prosthesis used after amputation includes fabric and silicone liners that can be added or removed to improve fit. The amputee needs to manually change the liners, but neuropathy leading to poor sensation makes this difficult and can lead to more damage to the remaining limb.

“Rather than creating a new type of prosthetic socket, the typical silicon/fabric limb liner is replaced with a single layer of liner with integrated soft fluidic actuators as an interfacing layer,” said author Carolyn Ren, from the University of Waterloo. “These actuators are designed to be inflated to varying pressures based on the anatomy of the residual limb to reduce pain and prevent pressure ulcerations.”

The scientists started off with pneumatic actuators to adjust the pressure of the prosthetic socket, but it was quite heavy.

To reduce weight, the group miniaturised the actuators, designing a microfluidic chip with 10 integrated pneumatic valves to control each actuator. The full system is controlled by a miniature air pump and two solenoid valves that provide air to the microfluidic chip. The control box is small and light enough to be worn as part of the prosthesis.

Prosthetics experts provided a detailed map of desired pressures for the prosthetic socket. The group carried out extensive measurements of the contact pressure provided by each actuator and compared these to the desired pressure for a working prosthesis.

All of the actuators produced the right pressures suggesting the new device will work well in the field, with the next step being a more accurate biological model.

The group plans additional research to integrate pressure sensors directly into the prosthetic liner, perhaps using newly available knitted soft fabric that incorporates pressure sensing material.

Source: American Institute of Physics

Categories : Metabolic DisordersTags :

Cold Temperatures Could Reduce Obesity-induced Inflammation

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Ian Keefe on Unsplash

In a new paper published in Nature Metabolism, researchers found that cold temperature exposure resolved obesity-induced inflammation while improving insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in diet-induced obese mice. The process depended on brown adipose tissue producing a molecule called Maresin 2 when stimulated by cold.

Brown adipose tissue is known to be an active endocrine orgain which helps dissipate stored energy and might promote weight loss and metabolic health.  

“Extensive evidence indicates that obesity and metabolic syndrome are linked with chronic inflammation that leads to systemic insulin resistance, so interrupting inflammation in obesity could offer promising therapies for obesity-related disease,” said co-corresponding author Yu-Hua Tseng, PhD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.  “We discovered that cold exposure reduced inflammation and improved metabolism in obesity, mediated at least in part by the activation of brown adipose tissue. These findings suggest a previously unrecognized function of brown adipose tissue in promoting the resolution of inflammation in obesity.”

In two previous studies, Tseng and colleagues discovered that cold exposure could activate brown fat to produce specific lipid mediators that regulate nutrient metabolism. In the current study, the researchers identified a novel role for a lipid mediator produced from brown fat to resolve inflammation.

In the present study, the scientists created a mouse model that becomes obese when fed a typical high-fat, Western diet. When the animals were exposed to a cold environment (around 4°C), the researchers observed that the animals’ insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism improved and their body weight decreased, compared to control animals maintained at a thermoneutral zone – the environmental temperature where the body does not need to produce heat for maintaining its core body temperature. What’s more, the scientists also noticed a profound improvement in inflammation, as measured by reduced levels of a major inflammatory marker. 

“We found that brown fat produces Maresin 2, which resolves inflammation systemically and in the liver,” said co-corresponding author Matthew Spite, PhD, a lead investigator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Associate Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School. “These findings suggest a previously unrecognized function of brown adipose tissue in promoting the resolution of inflammation in obesity via the production of this important lipid mediator.”

Moreover, these findings also suggest that Maresin 2 could have clinical applications as a therapy for patients with obesity, metabolic disease, or other diseases linked to chronic inflammation; however, the molecule itself breaks down quickly in the body. Tseng and colleagues seek a more stable chemical analog for clinical use.

The team notes a shortcut to improved metabolic health may already exist. Multiple human studies show that exposure to mild cold temperatures (10 to 13°C) have been shown to be sufficient to activate brown adipose tissue and improve metabolism, though the mechanisms are not well understood.

Source: EurekaAlert