Posted on 10/04/2021 9:40:55 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
It is well known that obesity affects the body's insulin production and over time risks leading to type 2 diabetes and several other metabolic diseases. Now researchers have found further explanation for why fat cells cause metabolic morbidity.
Many metabolic diseases, among them type 2 diabetes, are strongly associated with obesity. In order to reverse the trend, more knowledge is needed, among other things, about how fat cells (adipocytes) contribute to various harmful processes in tissues and organs.
When fat cells are enlarged, they begin to secrete factors that cause inflammation of the adipose tissue. Fat cell enlargement is also associated with insulin resistance, when cells in the body do not respond to insulin as they should. The important task of insulin is to regulate energy, glucose, for the body's cells. When that function is disturbed, as with insulin resistance, the risk of type 2 diabetes increases.
Now researchers have shown that in obesity and insulin resistance, the cell activity of fat cells changes. As fat cells increase in cell size, nuclear size and nuclear DNA content also increases.
"The process of cells not dividing but increasing in DNA content and cell size (endoreplication) is common among plants and animals. In contrast, the process has not been described for human fat cells (adipocytes), which can increase in size more than 200 times over their lifespan," says Qian Li, first author.
The natural process of fat cells increasing in size has several negative effects on health. The authors demonstrate that elevated levels of insulin in the blood cause premature aging, senescence, in some cells in the adipose tissue.
"Our results show that senescent fat cells increase the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors, and drive inflammation and pathology in human adipose tissue. This affects the health of the whole body," says Carolina Hagberg.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
If you are already on metformin, use this time to get your diet in order.
There are supplements that can help remove senescent cells, as well.
>> As fat cells increase in cell size
Figures...
I’ve been on metformin for years. (Originally marketed as Glucophage.) There are a plethora of potential side-effects associated with it. My mother - a nurse for four decades - wishes it would be pulled from the market becauuse of it, but I’ve never experienced any noticeable problems with it.
There is no substitute for stop overeating and exercise.
What would those be? Please and thank you.
Actually, metformin is considered a wonder drug and it is cheap, too. They are finding many uses for metformin which has been around since the 1920s.
“There are a plethora of potential side-effects associated with it.”
Yes. Awful side effects and I blame it for my first wife’s death. We were married 47 years, she died at 72.
I married again a year ago, my new wife was taking it and had the same bad side effects. She is on insulin now, side effects are gone, but weight gain is an issue. Even with a low carb diet.
I have found that Metformin controls gout attacks, for me.
YMMV
50% of diabetes is preventable-Tom Coburn, the late senator.
I believe that the better option is intermittent fasting, portion control, and elimination of refined sugars from the diet.
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