Interleukin-6 may help diabetes, obesity

University of Granada researchers in Spain say a molecule called interleukin-6 has opened new doors for new drugs against obesity and diabetes.

Dr. Jose Luis Mesa, one of the main authors of the study, together with scientists of the University of Melbourne and the Baker Heart Research Institute, both in Australia, collaborated with the company Vitagenes to find that the exogenous administration of interleukin-6 improved insulin sensitivity and the absorption of glucose -- essential for diabetics.

The main discovery has been the change of the paradigm of a molecule called interleukin-6 in the prevention of obesity and diabetes. Up to now, scientific evidence suggested that interleukin-6, chronically high in obese persons and diabetics, could be harmful for obesity and diabetes; however, this study proves exactly the opposite.

"We obtained surprising results," Mesa said in a statement. "The exogenous administration of interleukin-6 improved insulin sensitivity and the absorption of glucose, essential for diabetics."

In addition, "interleukin-6 also increased the expression of important genes related to fats metabolism, such as PPAR and UCP2. This suggests that interleukin-6 could be involved in the metabolic control of body weight," Mesa said.