metabolism of obesity and starvation tagged posts

Decades after the Discovery of Anti-Obesity Hormone, Scant Evidence that Leptin keeps lean people Lean

Microscope photo of adipose tissue. Credit: jxfzsy/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Microscope photo of adipose tissue. Credit: jxfzsy/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Discovered more than 2 decades ago, the hormone leptin has been widely hailed as the key regulator of leanness. Yet, the pivotal experiments that probe the function of this protein and unravel the precise mechanism of its action as a guardian against obesity are largely missing. Flier, the HMS George Higginson Professor of Physiology and Medicine, and Maratos-Flier, HMS professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, have made significant contributions to the understanding of the metabolism of obesity and starvation in general, and of leptin in particular.

The commentary highlights what the authors say is a startling lack of experimental evidence detailing the biologic roles of leptin in metabolism, ...

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