Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Leptin Trumps Insulin
The accumulation of excess fat, especially in the liver, is the hallmark of health headed in the direction of disease. Abdominal weight gain is reflective of fatty accumulation in the liver. Once the liver is congested with excess fat, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are much more likely. A series of clever experiments has now demonstrated that leptin resistance, not insulin resistance, is the primary factor driving the accumulation of surplus fat in the liver. In other words, the dysfunction of white adipose tissue is the root cause of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, consequent insulin resistance, and increased risk for all factors of metabolic syndrome X.
Permalink





