A new section of our blog will be short summaries of new research
going on in the Medical field, we hope you find them to be good
insight.
Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have successfully
isolated a protein in the muscle cells that triggers some of the health
benefits of exercise. The most exciting part of the discovery is that
this protein could be extremely useful in treating obesity and diabetes,
both of which are growing epidemics. This hormone called irisin is able
to "talk to" various tissues in the body and has a direct effect on
adipose tissue, which is a key player in the development of obesity.
When someone exercises, their irisin levels rise and the bad white fat
is converted to good brown fat.
So does this discovery mean that in the future, going to the gym won't
be necessary because people can just take irisin supplements? Well,
researchers have mentioned that irisin does not benefit muscle strength
at all - it only affects white fat. But this does mean there could be a
natural and effective treatment to obesity in the future. And who knows,
maybe irisin based drugs will play a key role in cancer research as
there is more and more evidence that obesity is tied to cancer
development!
Written By: Christine Ho
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