17 February 2011


After two weeks of heavy reading about the subject, the link between inflammation and obesity/diabetes has never been so compelling. We’ve not only investigated recent evidence detailing this relationship, but we have also seen this field of research branch out into potentially therapeutic realms of science. All that we’ve seen, however, is actually science functioning inside of a very recently-established paradigm. Ever wonder what started this mushroom cloud of research on inflammation and metabolic disease?  Probably Hotamisligil et al.’s paper, “Adipose expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha: direct role in obesity-linked insulin resistance.” This paper was published in 1993 (time reference: The Lion King came out in 1994!) and made the first molecular link between obesity and inflammation. Hotamisligil et al. found that TNF-α was overexpressed both locally and systemically in obese mice. Counteracting the inflammatory cytokine in turn increased insulin-stimulate d glucose uptake. This paper was groundbreaking! Check it out!

REFERENCES:
Hotamisligil , GS, NS Shargill and BM Spiegelman. "Adipose expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha: direct role in obesity-linked insulin resistance." Science (1993) 259(5091): 87-91.

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