Trehalose instead of fasting
Data obtained by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, working under the guidance of Dr. Brian DeBosch, indicate that the natural carbohydrate trehalose activates the Aloxe3 gene in liver cells, which increases tissue sensitivity to insulin, reducing the risk of diabetes mellitus.
The authors added trehalose to the drinking water of mice and studied how it affects the activation of genes in liver cells. They were interested in the Aloxe3 gene, known solely for its role in ensuring the ability of the skin to maintain normal hydration of the body.
Experiments have shown that activation of Aloxe3 in the liver of mice using trehalose had effects similar to the effect of drugs of the thiazolidinedione class, manifested by an increase in tissue sensitivity to insulin. In subsequent experiments, it was found that 48-hour fasting similarly activated the Aloxe3 gene in liver tissue.
In addition to improving the body's susceptibility to insulin, activation of Aloxe3 under the action of trehalose or under fasting conditions also stimulated calorie burning, increased body temperature, prevented weight gain and fat accumulation, including in liver tissue, and also reduced the concentration of fats and cholesterol in the blood.
Moreover, the addition of trehalose to drinking water protected against the development of metabolic syndrome of animals kept on an obesity-inducing diet, as well as those predisposed to obesity and having unlimited access to food.
The disadvantage of trehalose is the ability to be broken down under the action of digestive enzymes with the release of two glucose molecules, which completely neutralizes its positive effects. In search of an analogue, she settled on a similar carbohydrate – lactotregalose – which has a similar positive effect, but is more resistant to enzymatic cleavage.
The data obtained indicate the possible use of trehalose and/or other structurally similar carbohydrates in the treatment of metabolic syndrome – a complex of interrelated pathologies, including obesity, diabetes mellitus and fatty liver degeneration.
Although the potential introduction of trehalose into clinical practice still requires a significant amount of research, the authors believe that in the future it will be possible to achieve the positive effects of fasting without resorting to a serious restriction of the amount of food consumed.
Healthy liver tissue of mice kept on a standard diet (left). Significant fatty deposits in the liver of mice that consumed food rich in trans fats and cholesterol for 12 weeks (red color in the middle image). Fat deposits are less pronounced (left) in mice kept on a diet rich in trans fats and cholesterol and having increased activity of the Aloxe3 gene in the liver, which indicates protection from metabolic syndrome.
Article by Higgins CB et al. Aloxe3 is a hepatic fasting-responsive lipoxygenase that enhances insulin sensitivity via hepatic PPAR-gamma published in the journal JCI Insight.
Evgenia Ryabtseva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Washington University School of Medicine: Natural sugar defends against metabolic syndrome, in mice.