https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-08- ... sulin.html
by University of Copenhagen
More than 500 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes. Roughly 2.6 billion are overweight. Something that both groups have in common is that the hormone insulin does not work nearly as well for them as it does for people who are healthy and in a normal weight range. Researchers have been eager to better understand the processes that affect insulin function in our bodies in order to develop new medications and treatments.
In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen's Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports (NEXS) studied how GDF15 (growth differentiation factor 15) affects insulin sensitivity in rodents.
The researchers were the first to discover that GDF15 actually improves sensitivity in mice and rats, making them better suited to regulate their blood sugar and absorb energy in their muscles. The result, published in journal Cell Metabolism, increases our general understanding of GDF15.