Study of Factors Regulating Metabolic Syndrome and Insulin Resistance

Metabolic syndrome, also known as syndrome X and insulin resistance syndrome, is a global pandemic that has been exponentially increasing throughout the last two decades. Obesity and insulin resistance are the primary components of metabolic syndrome. Our study aimed to identify factors regulating insulin resistance by further increasing our knowledge of 12/15 lipoxygenase along with a implementing a dietary intervention to reduce insulin resistance. We tested the hypothesis that 12/15 lipoxygenase transgenic mice on a 45% HFD after 10 weeks would have significantly greater insulin resistance than the wildtype mice. We also hypothesized that a dietary intervention with low glycemic index bread products along with omega-3 and polyphenol supplements for 12 weeks should decrease insulin resistance and lower the risk of developing chronic diseases more effectively than a placebo-controlled diet. The 12/15-lipoxygenase mice study showed that the 12/15 lipoxygenase transgenic mice had significantly higher fasting plasma glucose concentrations, fasting insulin concentrations, plasma triglyceride concentration, and greater gWAT percentage of body weight compared to the wildtype mice. The study also suggested that the 12/15- lipoxygenase mice had greater systemic insulin resistance than the wildtype mice. The dietary intervention study, although incomplete at this stage, showed trends for enhanced insulin sensitivity with the active diet, body weight loss, fat mass loss, waist circumference decrease and improvements in lipid panel were significant in both diet groups. These studies shed new light on mechanisms regulating insulin resistance