New Delhi, May 11
A team of researchers has said that lipolysis is more effective in women than in men, which could partly explain why women are less likely to develop metabolic complications than men, despite having more body fat.
The research focused on lipolysis, the process through which triglycerides - lipids stored in fat cells - are broken down to produce free fatty acids and glycerol, which can be used as energy, during exercise or between meals.
"The breakdown of lipids through lipolysis is essential for energy balance and it is believed that doing it effectively may prevent type 2 diabetes and other metabolic complications of overweight and obesity," said Professor Peter Arner, of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
"Indeed, lipolysis is more effective in women than in men, which could be one reason why women are less likely to develop metabolic complications than men, despite having more body fat," Arner added.
Hormones called catecholamines play a key role in activating lipolysis and regulating the various steps in the process and it is known that when levels of these hormones increase, due to psychological stress or during exercise, for example, lipolysis is activated more strongly in women than in men.
According to the study, a better understanding of how this occurs could pave the way for drugs and other treatments that lower the risk of type 2 diabetes in men with overweight and obesity.
To find out more, Professor Arner and Dr Daniel P Andersson of the Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge in Stockholm, measured lipolysis in abdominal subcutaneous fat cells from adult women and men.
The cells were incubated alone or with increasing concentrations of several catecholamines that are known to act at different steps in lipolysis.
The amount of glycerol released was used to measure the amount of lipolysis.
This revealed that the fat cells from the women were less sensitive to the catecholamines than the fat cells from the men, meaning that that higher concentrations were needed to activate and regulate lipolysis.
However, when lipolysis was activated, it took place at a faster rate in the cells from the women than in those from the men.
"Longer-term, our findings could aid in the development of drugs that lower the risk of type 2 diabetes in men," said Arner.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Interesting study! As an Indian woman, I've noticed how our bodies handle stress differently than men. This research explains why women in my family tend to stay healthier despite having more body fat. Maybe we should focus more on stress management techniques for men's health. ðŸ™
Finally some good news for Indian women who face so much pressure about weight! But I wonder - does this mean men need to work harder at weight management? Our sedentary lifestyles combined with rich Indian food might be double trouble for males.
This explains why my husband gains weight faster than me even though we eat the same food! 😅 But seriously, we need more India-specific research. Our diets and lifestyle are so different from Western countries where these studies usually happen.
As a doctor, I find this research valuable but incomplete. Indian men already have higher diabetes rates - this adds another risk factor. We need preventive healthcare campaigns targeting men specifically. Yoga and traditional Indian exercises could help balance this biological disadvantage.
Interesting, but we shouldn't take this as license to ignore women's health. Indian women still face many health challenges. This study shows our bodies work differently, so we need gender-specific healthcare approaches. More research funding for women's health please!
Good to see science validating what Ayurveda has said for centuries about gender differences in metabolism. Maybe modern medicine should look more at our traditional knowledge systems for solutions to these metabolic issues.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.