Improper Insulin Processing Could Also Cause Obesity In Humans, Finds Study

It is well known that being overweight increases the risk of causing an imbalance in sugar metabolism and even diabetes.

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However, now, a novel study has revealed that the flip side of the same is also possible -- a deficit in insulin production can contribute to being overweight. To the unaware, compromising of insulin is a common occurrence in type-2 diabetes.

Researchers focussed on PC1/3 -- a crucial enzyme responsible for transforming inactive hormone precursors into the final, active forms. Non-functioning of this enzyme could result in severe endocrine disorders, which can include a feeling of uncontrollable hunger resulting in severe overweight.

The study's leader, Dr Zeman-Meier explained, "Until now, it was assumed that this dysregulation is caused by a lack of activation of satiety hormones. But when we turned off PC1/3 in the brains of mice, the animals' body weight did not change significantly.¡±

According to researchers, something other than a brain malfunction could be responsible for this.

In their next stage, they looked at whether being overweight could be caused by incorrect activation of hormones. PC1/3 is known to activate insulin, among others. They shut off PC1/3 specifically in the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas in mice. They saw the mice would consume a lot more calories and soon became overweight and suffered from diabetes.

This finding, according to the researchers, was interesting as PC1/3 levels also drop in the pancreas of patients with prediabetes. This indicated that incorrect insulin activation could not just be a consequence but also a cause of being overweight.

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Researchers, however, also highlight that PC1/3 plays a vital role in the weight regulation of healthy individuals. Researchers were able to show that gene expression of PC1/3 in the pancreas negatively correlated with body weight in the general population, indicating that sufficient PC1/3 promotes a healthy body weight.

The finding that deficit in the insulin-producing beta cells triggers obesity opens new avenues for therapies. Medicines could be used to reduce the production of immature insulin precursors, offering a new tool in the fight against being overweight and diabetes.

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