"What is the Connection Between Obesity & Type II Diabetes? Given That the Prevalence of Both Obesity and Type II Diabetes is Increasing, should We be Worried? If you were a Scientific Advisor to the Ministry of Health, What would your Recommendations B

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“What is the Connection Between Obesity & Type II Diabetes?  Given That the Prevalence of Both Obesity and Type II Diabetes is Increasing, should We be Worried?  If you were a Scientific Advisor to the Ministry of Health, What would your Recommendations Be?

By: Shruti Sehgal

        

        Although the causes of diabetes are not exactly known, researchers claim that both genetics and environment play a significant role.  The National Diabetes Education Program figures indicate that being older than 45 and being overweight places individuals at a greater risk for Type Two Diabetes.

        Recent studies also show substantial evidence regarding the relationship between Type Two Diabetes and obesity.  Researchers at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine currently reported the discovery of a new hormone, now given the name of “Resistin,” as a molecular basis for exploring this connection.  

        In a series of experiments with mice, scientists of the department of endocrinology at the University of Pennsylvania discovered this new hormone produced by fat cells.  Presumably naming this hormone Resistin for “Resistance to Insulin”, Dr. Claire Steppan and other researchers indicated that the amount of Resistin in the bloodstream rose drastically in mice with both diet-induced and genetic forms of obesity.  After a dosage of Rosiglitazone, an anti-diabetic drug, the levels of Resistin present in the mice did indeed decrease.

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        The scientists also directed an “Anti-Resistin antibody” to obese mice.  An improvement of blood sugar and insulin action were hence resulted in the mice.  Another experiment was conducted with standard-weight mice and the treatment with Resistin interfered with glucose tolerance and insulin action.

        Experts say that if humans and mice are found to react correspondingly to levels of Resistin, these findings may later on provide the basis for new medications.  However, there is caution as the case study is still preliminary.  More research is needed to explain the function of Resistin.

        Statistics reveal that from 1990 to 1998 there was ...

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