June 11, 2018
12:50
Seminar Room ISV
Jim Johnson: Insulin excess in the pathogenesis of obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cancer
Insulin has major roles in lipid uptake, lipolysis, and lipogenesis, in addition to its control of blood glucose levels. Excessive levels of circulating insulin are associated with adipose tissue expansion and obesity, yet a causal role for hyperinsulinemia in the development of mammalian obesity was controversial, with many researchers suggesting it is simply a consequence of insulin resistance. Recently, we have presented evidence that demonstrates specifically reducing hyperinsulinemia prevents and reverses obesity in animal models, in the absence of defects in glucose homeostasis. We also find improved longevity and protection of pre-cancerous lesions in the pancreas. This seminar will also discuss this clinical evidence and speculate on the possibility of clinical translation of this knowledge.