Obesity Protects Against Metabolic Syndrome, Says Noted Researcher Roger Unger

It was concluded from these studies that ectopic lipid deposition and the associated manifestations of the metabolic syndrome vary inversely with the capacity of adipocytes to accommodate the daily caloric surpluses of hyperphagic mice ,” the paper stated.

Ina 2005 paper, Unger provided evidence that hyperleptinemia protects the heart from lipid overload .

Unger tested his hypothesis on transgenic mice that develop severe heart disease from excessive lipids. These are not obese mice, so they don't develop high levels of protective leptin. Some of the mice were treated with a adenovirus containing a leptin-forming gene. These mice developed normal hearts, while the control mice demonstrated severe heart disease.

The 2005 paper concluded:

"There is now much correlative evidence to suggest that the lipoxic disorders of rodents share a common etiology with metabolic syndrome of humans, as has been reviewed previously. If so, the principal role of leptin may be to prevent metabolic syndrome by maintaining normal liporegulation despite enormous dietary variations, much as insulin prevents diabetes through maintaining normal glucoregulation despite the same dietary variations.

"From this perspective, both hormones are homeostatic regulators that seek to maintain metabolic homeostasis and cellular health despite the challenging perturbations that characterize our existence. Ultimately, as life nears its end, the homeostatic systems will fail. But depending on the magnitude and duration of perturbations and genetic determinants, this will not occur until late life, long after the reproductive years, thereby assuring species survival."

Unger's latest paper, along with his work on leptin serving as an insulin substitute, paves the way for a better understanding of obesity-related illnesses in humans. But as for therapy, Unger is less sanguine. His new paper concluded that the most obvious way to control these illnesses is to increase the cost of "bargain basement" calories to "price obesity out of the market."

"Unfortunately, this would have profound socioeconomic implications: how do we tax excessive calories while at the same time guaranteeing sufficient access to high quality foods for the underprivileged?"

UPDATE: Another study just released tackles that question. Researchers led by Kiyah J. Duffey say an 18 percent tax on what they call "unhealthy foods" such as pizza and soda decreases their consumption enough to cause people to lose about 5 pounds a year. Duffey and colleagues wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine , a publication of the Journal of the American Medical Association.


