Bruce Spiegelman, PhD, Cell Biologist, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
BOSTON, US: Obesity, diabetes and dystrophy are the common problems that we face today. Researchers have discovered a natural hormone that acts like exercise on muscle tissue- burning calories, improving insulin processing, and perhaps boosting strength. The hormone occurs naturally in both mice and humans. It pushes cells to transform from white fat globules that serve as reservoirs for excess calories into brown fat, which generates heat, hence burn calories instead of being stored. Hormone discovery could yield exercise-mimicking drugs for metabolic and other disorders.
The hormone is named irisin, irisin reduce the damage done by a high-fat diet, protecting against diet-induced obesity and diabetes. The study was conducted by Bruce Spiegelman, PhD, Cell Biologist, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and colleagues. According to them the protein, which serves as a chemical messenger, is a highly promising candidate for development as a novel treatment for diabetes, obesity and perhaps other disorders, including cancer. “We are hopeful, though we have no evidence, that this hormone may embody some of the other benefits of exercise, perhaps in the neuromuscular system. It could also be used to treat disorders like muscular dystrophy and muscle wasting,” said Spiegelman.
The discovery is an important first step in understanding the biological mechanisms that translate physical exercise into beneficial changes throughout the body, both in healthy people and in preventing or treating disease. Along with stimulating brown fat development, irisin was shown to improve glucose tolerance. The hormone doesn’t appear to make muscles stronger, it just boost the strength. The experiment was conducted with mice as control. There were no signs of toxicity or side effects, which was predicted since the researchers limited the increase of irisin to levels typically caused by exercise.
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