The discovery of MOTS-C, a molecule that acts as a signal to the body, was made by scientists from the University of Southern California.

MOTS-C works by increasing the sensitivity to insulin, allowing the body to more efficiently produce glucose from sugar, say researchers.

Insulin is a hormone that allows the penetration of sugar from food into the bloodstream. Insulin resistance can be caused by poor nutrition and can cause type 2 diabetes, according to the Internet publication for girls and women aged 14 to 35 Pannochka. net The hormone basically acts in the muscle tissue, where it restores insulin sensitivity, counteracting, not the right diet and age-related insulin resistance.

"This represents a significant step forward in identifying new treatments for age-related diseases such as diabetes," said Pinchas Cohen, a researcher at the University of Southern California.

To test the effect of MOTS-C, the team conducted studies in mice fed high-fat foods, causing them to obesity and developing insulin resistance.

Injections of the hormone not only suppressed both effects in mice, they also prevented age-related insulin resistance, a condition that precedes diabetes.

"This discovery sheds new light on the mitochondria and positions them as active regulators of metabolism," said Changhan Li, USC Davis Associate Professor and lead author of the study.

MOTS-C is unique among hormones in that it is encoded in mitochondrial DNA - in the "power plant" of cells that convert food into energy. "Although all MOTS-C experiments have now been conducted on laboratory mice, the molecular mechanisms that exist in mice are present in all mammals, including humans. Clinical trials in humans can begin within the next three years, say the researchers, and this will be a major breakthrough in the fight against obesity and age-related diabetes.

qqnews. en.