The research team had previously shown that an injection of FGF1 greatly reduced blood sugar in mice, and long-term treatment with FGF1 reduced insulin resistance. The team has now been able to explain how this works. In the study, which was published in the journal Cell Metabolism, they report that FGF1 regulates blood sugar by inhibiting fat breakdown, known as lipolysis. In addition, like insulin, FGF1 regulates the production of glucose in the liver. This suggested that FGF1 and insulin use the same mechanisms to regulate blood sugar. However, it turned out that both hormones do this in different ways.
“Finding a second hormone that suppresses lipolysis and lowers glucose levels is a scientific breakthrough,” said Professor Ronald Evans of the Salk Institute in La Jolla. What is particularly interesting is that FGF1 might be well suited to lower blood sugar in people with insulin resistance.
Fats and glucose enter the bloodstream through food. In muscles and adipose tissue, these energy sources are either used immediately or stored for later use. In people with insulin resistance, glucose is not removed efficiently from the blood and increased lipolysis increases fatty acid levels. The extra fatty acids accelerate glucose production in the liver and further increase glucose levels. In addition, the fatty acids accumulate in the organs and make insulin resistance worse.
What: DOI 10.1016/j.cmet.2021.12.004
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