Teens with the lowest levels of spexin more than five times as likely to be obese
WEDNESDAY, May 25, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Obese adolescents may have lower levels of the hormone spexin than normal-weight adolescents, according to research published online May 24 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Seema Kumar, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and colleagues assessed levels of spexin, a peptide implicated in obesity and related energy homeostasis in animals and adult humans, in 51 obese and 18 normal-weight teens (ages 12 to 18).
The researchers found that teens with the lowest levels of spexin were more than five times as likely to be obese than those with the highest levels of the hormone.
“Previous research has found reduced levels of this hormone in adults with obesity. Overall, our findings suggest spexin may play a role in weight gain beginning at an early age,” Kumar said in a journal news release. “It is noteworthy that we see such clear differences in spexin levels between obese and lean adolescents.”
Copyright © 2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
