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Hormones in our bones can help prevent diabetes, says study
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Once osteocalcin is activated, it promotes the production of insulin in the body that would lower the glucose levels in the blood. (Shutterstock/-)
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recent paper published in The Journal Of Clinical Investigation has shown the effects of hormones produced by our bones, osteocalcin, on our body’s ability to metabolize fat and sugars.
Osteocalcin is found in our bones, but it is mainly in an inactive state when it is produced by osteoblasts -- the same cells that make our bones. Hence the inactive hormone needs to be activated.
As the difference between its inactive and active states is an extra piece on the inactive hormone, we only need to remove the piece to activate the hormone.
According to Medical Xpress, the researchers found the enzyme furin was used as a “scissors” to cut the extra piece and activate the hormone. Once osteocalcin is activated, it promotes the production of insulin in the body that would lower the glucose levels in the blood.
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The lead researcher, Mathieu Ferron, explained that they also saw the effects when the enzyme was absent in lab mice.
When the enzyme was absent, the data showed an increase in the blood’s glucose levels and decrease in insulin production due to the limited amount of inactive osteocalcin being activated. The lack of the enzyme also made the mice eat less than they regularly did when they had an abundance of furin. Ferron claimed that “[they’re] confident that the absence of furin was the cause.”
New promising methods of reducing Type 2 diabetes and obesity were part of the research’s results. (ezr/kes)
