Why does the body make more FGF-21 when people are overweight or diabetic?
Circulating Fibroblast Growth Factor-21 Is Elevated in Impaired Glucose Tolerance and Type 2 Diabetes and Correlates With Muscle and Hepatic Insulin Resistance
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
FGF-21 is elevated in obesity and diabetes—despite being a hormone that should improve metabolic health.
In animal studies, giving FGF-21 treats diabetes, so we’d expect low levels in sick people. Instead, levels are high—suggesting ‘FGF-21 resistance’ may exist, like insulin resistance.
Practical Takeaways
Monitor metabolic health early—rising FGF-21 may signal insulin resistance before blood sugar spikes.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
FGF-21 is elevated in obesity and diabetes—despite being a hormone that should improve metabolic health.
In animal studies, giving FGF-21 treats diabetes, so we’d expect low levels in sick people. Instead, levels are high—suggesting ‘FGF-21 resistance’ may exist, like insulin resistance.
Practical Takeaways
Monitor metabolic health early—rising FGF-21 may signal insulin resistance before blood sugar spikes.
Publication
Journal
Diabetes Care
Year
2009
Authors
A. Chavez, Marjorie Molina-Carrión, M. Abdul-Ghani, F. Folli, R. DeFronzo, D. Tripathy
Related Content
Claims (6)
Your body makes a hormone called FGF-21 when under stress, and it helps control how sensitive you are to insulin and how much belly fat you store — but how and how long it’s turned on really matters.
People with more body fat tend to have higher levels of a hormone called FGF-21 in their blood, and this link is pretty strong based on a study of adults with different blood sugar levels.
Higher levels of a hormone called FGF-21 in the blood are linked to the liver not responding well to insulin in adults — meaning the liver may be struggling to manage blood sugar properly.
People with obesity, prediabetes, or type 2 diabetes tend to have higher levels of a hormone called FGF-21 in their blood compared to healthy-weight people, and the more severe the metabolic issue, the higher the level seems to go.
Higher levels of a hormone called FGF-21 in the blood are linked to worse muscle response to insulin in adults — meaning muscles don’t take up sugar as well when FGF-21 is high.