Diabetes & Obesity

A Global Problem

Diabetes mellitus type-2 and obesity are two diseases with continuously growing prevalence over the past decades.

Approximately 4 – 5 % of the world population are currently affected and the annual incidence in Western Europe is approximately 10 %. The major underlying mechanisms are the development of systemic insulin resistance and secretion disorder of the insulin-producing pancreatic ß-cells.

While diabetes mellitus is diagnosed via an elevated blood glucose level, obesity is defined by increased body fat mass, which exceeds by far the normal reference range of a given population. Both conditions can be considered chronic diseases, which lead to impaired quality of life and a morbidity and mortality risk, and which require long-term care by the health-care system.

During the past years, scientific research has contributed to a better understanding of the interrelations between the two diseases, and to define new laboratory markers for their classification. New biomarkers of this class are the proteins adiponectin, intact proinsulin, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and leptin. They play important roles in the pathophysiological development of both diseases.

The bone matrix protein Osteocalcin produced by osteoblasts controls the blood glucose level and the disposition for fat cells. Osteocalcin stimulates the ß-cells of the pancreas to produce a higher level of insulin. At the same time, it improves the glucose tolerance, stimulates the fat cells in the body to release the hormone Adiponectin and clears the path for the body‘s increased sensitivity to insulin.

Experiments have shown that laboratory animals who received rich food, with additional administration of Osteocalcin, did not get fatter and did not develop any diabetes mellitus, in contrast to the control group. In the future, diabetics having low Osteocalcin values in their blood, as experience shows, may benefit from a therapy involving this hormone.

“The insight that our bones watch over the blood glucose level gives us an entirely new understanding of the function of the skeletton,”
 

Cat-No.	Productname
TE1013	Adiponectin high sensitive ELISA (TECO®)
E091M	Adiponectin Mouse
E091R	Adiponectin Rat
E102	Chemerin
R90	Ghrelin
KT-871	GLP-1 (7-36) Active Human
KT-876	GLP-1, Total
TE1012	Intact Proinsulin (TECO®)
TE1015	Leptin, human (TECO®)
E06	Leptin, Mouse/Rat
E50	Resistin

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