Irisin could be a promising therapeutic target to help people withobesity and of Type 2 diabetes, according to results of a study published in the medical journal American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism. This hormone is produced naturally by the body and induced by exercise.
Researchers at the University of Florida in the United States performed an experiment by collecting fat cells from 28 participants who had undergone breast reduction surgery. Scientists exposed the fat samples to irisin.
They found an almost five-fold increase in cells that contain the protein UCP1, a protein essential for fat burning.
“We used tissue cultures of human fat to prove that irisin has a positive effect by turning white fat into brown fat and that it increases the body’s fat-burning ability, “says Dr. Li-Jun Yang, professor of hematopathology in the Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine,
Among the fatty tissue samples analyzed, the researcher found that irisin suppresses the formation of fat cells, reducing the number of mature fat cells by 20 to 60%, compared to the control group.
Irisin, a new therapy for obesity
The beneficial effects of irisin may be developed in therapies in the future, but the viability of treatment with irisin is uncertain today.
“Instead of waiting for a miracle drug, you can help yourself by changing your lifestyle and playing sports. This is because exercise produces irisin, which has many beneficial effects. It reduces fat cells, promotes stronger bones and allows for better cardiovascular health“, recalls Dr. Li-Jun Yang.
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