Steroids for obesity – A new treatment?
In addition, these mice were also found to have increased levels of adiponectin – a fat-derived hormone that appears to play an important role in protecting against diabetes and insulin resistance.
“Daily prednisone is known to promote obesity and even metabolic syndrome – a disorder with hyperlipidemia and blood sugar and weight gain. Obesity is a big and important problem. The idea that once-weekly prednisone might promote nutrient absorption into the muscles could be an approach to treating obesity.” “These studies were performed in rats. However, if these If this same pathway holds in humans, once a week prednisone may be beneficial for obesity.” Lead author, Dr. Elizabeth McNally, director of the Center for Genetic Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Thus, choosing the right prednisone dose could help minimize atrophic factors and maximize positive markers such as adiponectin, thus demonstrating a potential therapy.
Source: Medindia