Excessive caloric intake acutely causes oxidative stress, GLUT4 carbonylation, and insulin resistance in healthy men
The irresistible effects of overfeeding
Obesity is very common in the United States and worldwide, and it is associated with a host of health problems collectively known as the metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance is a key component of this syndrome, but the mechanism by which obesity promotes insulin resistance is not yet fully understood. The researchers studied a group of six healthy men who were subjected to overnutrition for 1 week while performing no physical activity. In that time, the men gained an average of 3.5 kg and showed signs of insulin resistance as well as oxidative stress. This process was associated with inactivation of GLUT4, a major insulin-facilitated glucose transporter, suggesting a potential approach for the development of future therapeutic agents. The article was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine (Science Translational Medicine 09 Sep 2015: Vol. 7, Issue 304, pp. 304re7 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aac4765) by Guenther Boden1,*, Carol Homko1, Carlos A. Barrero2, T. Peter Stein3, Xinhua Chen4, Peter Cheung1,Chiara Fecchio2, Sarah Koller5 and Salim Merali2,* This research has received national and international media coverage, from outlets including: Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, ABC News, Philly.com, WebMD, Business Insider Australia, Fox News, and The Seattle Times.
Author Affiliations
- Division of Endocrinology/Diabetes/Metabolism and the Clinical Research Unit, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA.
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Moulder Center for Drug Discovery, Proteomics/Metabolomics Facility, Temple University School of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA.
- Department of Surgery, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Rowan University, Stratford, NJ 08084, USA.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Rowan University, Stratford, NJ 08084, USA.
- Department of Surgery, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA.
*Corresponding author. E-mail: bodengh@tuhs.temple.edu (G.B.); smerali@temple.edu (S.M.)