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Fat, keeping the heart healthy?

Nature Medicine volume 11, pages 1048–1049 (2005)Cite this article

The hormone adiponectin is secreted from fat cells and increases sensitivity to insulin in muscle and liver; adiponectin increases resistance to metabolic disorders and, it now appears, may also protect heart tissue when blood flow is restricted (pages 1096–1103).

The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, caused mainly by a modern sedentary lifestyle and a high-calorie diet. In addition to being the most important energy-storing organ, adipose tissue is now recognized as an important endocrine organ. Adipose tissue secretes a number of factors central in the development of obesity-related metabolic disorders, including diabetes and dyslipidemia. Now, Shibata et al. report that one such factor, adiponectin, also provides protective effects in the heart1.

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Figure 1: Adiponectin acts directly on the heart and ameliorates cardiac ischemic injury.

Katie Ris

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Asahikawa Medical College, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan

    Koh-ichi Yuhki, Jun-ichi Kawabe & Fumitaka Ushikubi

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  1. Koh-ichi Yuhki
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  2. Jun-ichi Kawabe
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  3. Fumitaka Ushikubi
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Yuhki, Ki., Kawabe, Ji. & Ushikubi, F. Fat, keeping the heart healthy?. Nat Med 11, 1048–1049 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1005-1048

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