Link between Fat Tissue and Diabetes Discovered
By Angsuman Chakraborty, Gaea News NetworkTuesday, August 9, 2005
Overweight or obese has long been recognized as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. The results of a new study are clarifying the nature of the link between weight and diabetes. According to a report published today in the Nature, a protein released by fat tissue causes insulin resistance in mice.
Overweight people have protein RBP 4 almost twice as that of non-obese population. The main function of the protein RBP4 is to deliver vitamin A to body tissues. The scientists found higher levels of RBP 4 is linked with insulin resistance in mice studies.
“Being resistant to insulin is one of the major causes of diabetes,” Barbara B. Kahn of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School says. “And even in the absence of diabetes, insulin resistance is a major risk factor for heart disease and early mortality.”
