A tiny mitochondrial peptide helps mice stay slim and healthy
The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis and reduces obesity and insulin resistance
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists found a tiny protein made by mitochondria called MOTS-c. When they gave it to mice on a high-fat diet, the mice gained less weight and had better blood sugar control. It worked by turning on a cellular energy switch (AMPK) and helping muscles use sugar better.
Surprising Findings
MOTS-c levels drop during fasting in muscle and blood—but stay stable in brain and heart.
Most stress-response molecules increase during fasting; this one decreases, suggesting it’s a signal of energy abundance, not scarcity.
Practical Takeaways
If you're trying to improve insulin sensitivity, consider avoiding excessive folic acid supplements—especially if you're sedentary or metabolically unhealthy.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists found a tiny protein made by mitochondria called MOTS-c. When they gave it to mice on a high-fat diet, the mice gained less weight and had better blood sugar control. It worked by turning on a cellular energy switch (AMPK) and helping muscles use sugar better.
Surprising Findings
MOTS-c levels drop during fasting in muscle and blood—but stay stable in brain and heart.
Most stress-response molecules increase during fasting; this one decreases, suggesting it’s a signal of energy abundance, not scarcity.
Practical Takeaways
If you're trying to improve insulin sensitivity, consider avoiding excessive folic acid supplements—especially if you're sedentary or metabolically unhealthy.
Publication
Journal
Cell metabolism
Year
2015
Authors
Lee C, Zeng J, Drew BG, Sallam T, Martin-Montalvo A, Wan J, Kim SJ, Mehta H, Hevener AL, de Cabo R, Cohen P
Related Content
Claims (10)
Mitochondrial health serves as the bridge between fat loss and performance, and effective peptide stacking requires combining interventions with different mechanisms, such as tesamorelin (growth hormone/IGF-1 pathway) and MOTS-c (AMPK/mitochondrial energy sensing pathway), which act through distinct but complementary pathways to enhance mitochondrial function.
MOTS-c reduces visceral and hepatic fat and improves insulin sensitivity even on a high-fat diet by activating AMPK, the cellular energy sensor, which enhances glucose uptake, insulin signaling, and fuel efficiency.
When mice ate a high-fat diet, daily MOTS-c injections helped them stay lighter than untreated mice, even though they ate the same amount of food.
MOTS-c injections made muscle cells more responsive to insulin by activating AMPK and increasing GLUT4, which helps move glucose into cells.
When scientists added MOTS-c to cells in a dish, the cells started using more sugar for energy and turned on a key energy sensor called AMPK—until they added folic acid or blocked AMPK, which stopped the effect.