Newly published obesity research coming out of the University of Alberta has touched upon a possible avenue for obesity reduction.

Jason Dyck, a U of A medical researcher and professor, is the lead researcher for the study, which may be close to finding a new way to combat obesity.

In this study, mice are fed a high-fat, high-sugar diet the type of diet that generally leads to obesity. They then have adiponectin DNA injected into their leg muscles.

Adiponectin, secreted by fat cells, is known to have heart-protective and weight-regulating properties. If fat cells get too large, they no longer secrete normal amounts of the hormone-like substance.

What Dyck and his research team have found is the mice receiving this gene therapy start to produce adiponectin in higher levels, thus exhibiting weight loss.

Regardless of its high fat diet, the mouse is acting like a skinny mouse, Dyck said.

Treating obesity as an illness has raised some eyebrows in the Edmonton community, including radio show host Yukon Jack who said, if being fat is a disease, then playing bingo is a professional sport.

Dyck says this viewpoint probably reflects the majority of opinions about obesity. However, many doctors and medical professonals consider obesity a disease.

But this type of research has broader applications than just exercise-free weight loss. Obesity is closely linked with the loss of insulin sensitivity observed in Type 2 Diabetes.

What we are seeing with this gene therapy is a significant, but modest effect on weight gain. Despite only a slight reduction in weight gain, we are still seeing almost a complete restoration of insulin sensitivity, Dyck said.

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Gene therapy a possible option for obesity

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