Can blocking a fat-burning switch fix obesity and liver problems?
Pharmacological inhibition of adipose triglyceride lipase corrects high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance and hepatosteatosis in mice
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Blocking fat breakdown improved insulin sensitivity by 20% and slashed fasting insulin by 71%—without weight loss.
Common belief: Fat loss = better insulin sensitivity. This shows you can fix insulin resistance by just stopping fat release from fat cells—even if fat stays on.
Practical Takeaways
Focus on reducing visceral fat and liver fat through diet/exercise—this study confirms these are more important than total weight.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Blocking fat breakdown improved insulin sensitivity by 20% and slashed fasting insulin by 71%—without weight loss.
Common belief: Fat loss = better insulin sensitivity. This shows you can fix insulin resistance by just stopping fat release from fat cells—even if fat stays on.
Practical Takeaways
Focus on reducing visceral fat and liver fat through diet/exercise—this study confirms these are more important than total weight.
Publication
Journal
Nature Communications
Year
2017
Authors
M. Schweiger, M. Romauch, R. Schreiber, G. Grabner, Sabrina Hütter, P. Kotzbeck, Pia Benedikt, Thomas O. Eichmann, S. Yamada, Oskar Knittelfelder, C. Diwoky, C. Doler, Nicole Mayer, Werner De Cecco, R. Breinbauer, R. Zimmermann, R. Zechner
Related Content
Claims (5)
When scientists blocked a fat-burning enzyme in overweight mice, their belly fat dropped by three-quarters, fat in their blood fell nearly half, and their livers stored way less fat—suggesting that slowing down fat breakdown might help prevent fat from building up in the wrong places and make metabolism healthier.
Giving a special drug to overweight mice on a fatty diet lowers their insulin levels by 71% and helps their bodies use insulin better—without making them lose weight.
When scientists block a fat-burning enzyme called ATGL with a drug in mice, their hearts don’t get fatty or stop working—unlike when the enzyme is missing from birth, which causes serious heart problems.
When mice eat a lot of fat and are given a special drug that blocks a fat-breaking enzyme, their livers get less inflamed and scarred—like turning down the volume on liver damage.
A chemical called Atglistatin works really well to block a fat-burning enzyme in mice—by 95%—but it barely does anything to the same enzyme in humans, so it probably won’t work as a weight-loss drug for people.