Scientists have found a new inflammatory factor linked with several diseases, including lung disease, lung cancer and arthritis, which may also be linked with insulin resistance, a feature of diabetes.
This inflammatory chemical messenger (chemokine), called CXCL5, rises and falls with weight gain and weight loss in people. The scientists also found that when fat cells release large amounts of it, mice become resistant to the action of insulin. A drug that blocks CXCL5 was tested in mice and improved their sensitivity to insulin.
CXCL5 affects many kinds of cells, including smooth muscle cells, especially in the walls of blood vessels, the lungs and the gut. So its rise in obesity may cause heart and blood vessel problems and other diseases.
Two thirds of Americans are obese or overweight, and the share is even higher among Black Americans. Many diseases go with excess weight, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes, poor sleep and breathing problems.
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