Filed under: Type 2, Research  It
used to be that fat was just fat. Not anymore. Turns out that even fat
is, upon close examination, more complicated than we ever realized. Did
you know, for instance, that accumulations of deep belly fat are
particularly harmful? Such accumulations are a risk factor for Type 2
diabetes because they are associated with increased insulin resistance,
not to mention increased risk of heart attack.
One
problem with deep belly fat, however, is that you can't necessarily
detect it with a tape measure or by eyeballing someone's waistline.
That is, you can't tell by just looking at a person how much of the fat
surrounding their abdomen is deep belly fat versus the subcutaneous fat
that lies just under the skin's surface. However, a new study reports
that a simple blood test could solve this problem by measuring
quantities of the retinol-binding protein 4, also known as RBP4, in the
bloodstream. RBP4 is present in much higher levels in the bodies of
those with greater amounts of deep belly fat. Not only does this mean
that testing for high levels of RBP4 could be useful in assessing risk
for conditions such as Type 2 diabetes or heart disease, it also opens
up the possibility of treating such conditions by somehow manipulating
RBP4 levels.
The study in question was conducted by scientist Barbara Kahn and colleagues from Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the University of Leipzig, Germany. The results have been published in the journal Cell Metabolism (July, 2007). Kahn is particularly well known in the area of diabetes-related research for her work on insulin resistance in mice.
(c) Šeit
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