New Scientist
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Ramping up fat metabolism doesn’t just stop weight gain – it could also prevent type 2 diabetes.
Previous studies had shown that mice engineered to lack an enzyme called acetyl-CoA carboxylase 2 (ACC2) deposited less fat in their tissues, despite eating up to 40 per cent more than normal mice. Because fatty deposits around the liver can lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, removing ACC2 should also protect mice from diabetes.
There was a catch, however. For years, researchers had thought that burning more fat meant less carbohydrate would be used up. “This is the Randle hypothesis,” says James Ntambi at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “In one metabolic pathway you generate intermediates that inhibit the enzymes of the other metabolic pathway.” Read more on newscientist.com…
