Dedicated to women's health and well-being

News

Fat-Cell Protein May Reduce Diabetes Risk

Fat-Cell Protein May Reduce Diabetes Risk

July 7, 2009 - 4:29pm 317 reads 0 comments

TUESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- Higher levels of a protein created by fat cells are associated with a lessened risk of type 2 diabetes.

The protein, adiponectin, appears to have anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing capabilities, according to a study published in the July 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Our finding was that adiponectin is associated with a low risk of type 2 diabetes, and the effect is quite pronounced," said the study's senior author, Rob M. van Dam, an assistant professor at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

Van Dam said that he and his colleagues believe that adiponectin isn't just a marker for a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, but that the protein actually exerts a causal effect on the development of the disease. He said that in animal studies, when adiponectin is injected, metabolic differences occur. And, according to the study, adiponectin acts as a hormone with both anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing properties.

That's important because in type 2 diabetes, the body often becomes resistant to insulin and doesn't use it effectively.

Add A New Comment

Start Asking & Sharing



Add A New CommentComments

There are no comments yet. Be the first to get the conversation started.

Log in

Are you a member? Log in first to track your posts

Not a member? Join us. Membership is not required to post.

More information about formatting options

We never share email addresses with third parties. Your email address will be used to notify you of activity on your post and send you our newsletter if you choose to sign up for it.
Verify that you are a human (not a computer):
This is necessary to prevent computer programs from automatically posting spam or other irrelevant content on EmpowHer.com. Enter the characters in the box to the left (case sensitive). Do not enter spaces between the characters.
Image CAPTCHA

EmpowHer's Health Newsletter

The latest women's health news delivered to you each week

Health Events Search for health related events in your area

NextCare Flu Shot Clinic

Provided by NextCare Urgent Care

NextCare Urgent Care (www.nextcare.com) has announced that it will provide flu shots this fall at all its clinic locations including Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Georgia, Virginia and North Carolina for $25.

When:
November 12, 2009, 8:00am - 8:00pm
Where:
NextCare Urgent Care - Peoria/Glendale
9494 W. Northern Ave.
Peoria, AZ  85305