Plasma obestatin is lower at fasting and not suppressed by insulin in insulin-resistant humans.

Obestatin, a recently discovered 23-amino acid peptide, is involved in the regulation of appetite and body weight in antagonistic fashion to ghrelin, both deriving from a common precursor peptide. Ghrelin was shown to be associated with insulin resistance, which may also affect obestatin. We investigated the association between insulin resistance and plasma concentrations of obestatin and ghrelin in nondiabetic individuals with high (IS; n = 18, 13 females and 5 males, age 47 +/- 2 yr, BMI = 25.

Insulin resistance is unrelated to circulating retinol binding protein and protein C inhibitor.

Context: Recent data suggest that circulating retinol-binding protein (RBP) might be involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance. Moreover, protein C inhibitor (PCI), which specifically binds retinoic acid, was found to be increased in myocardial infarction survivors who are also insulin resistant.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the association of insulin resistance with RBP factors and PCI active antigen.

The Clamp-Like Index: a novel and highly sensitive insulin sensitivity index to calculate hyperinsulinemic clamp glucose infusion rates from oral glucose tolerance tests in nondiabetic subjects.

Objective: Insulin resistance, the underlying pathophysiological mechanism of the metabolic syndrome, can not only predict type 2 diabetes development but also cardiovascular disease. Thus, precise insulin resistance measurement in individuals at risk for metabolic diseases would support clinical risk stratification. However, the gold standard for measuring insulin resistance, the hyperinsulinemic clamp test, is too labor intensive to be performed in large clinical studies/settings.

The Mammalian target of rapamycin pathway regulates nutrient-sensitive glucose uptake in man.

The nutrient-sensitive kinase mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and its downstream target S6 kinase (S6K) are involved in amino acid-induced insulin resistance. Whether the mTOR/S6K pathway directly modulates glucose metabolism in humans is unknown. We studied 11 healthy men (29 years old, BMI 23 kg/m(2)) twice in random order after oral administration of 6 mg rapamycin, a specific mTOR inhibitor, or placebo.

Effects of dietary protein on glucose homeostasis.

Purpose Of Review: Despite the proven efficacy of the established high-carbohydrate diets for treatment and prevention of obesity and type 2 diabetes, alternative diets including high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets have become increasingly popular. The purpose of this review is to discuss potential effects of increased protein intake on glucose metabolism and body weight.

Recent Findings: Recent intervention trials revealed that, in the short-term, the intake of proteins at the expense of carbohydrates increases satiety and thereby lowers intake of calories.