image: This is a salt-induced fatty liver in wild type mice with areas of lipid retention and inflammation. view more
Credit: PNAS
Researchers report that mice fed an elevated salt solution consumed more food and were more likely to develop obesity and metabolic syndrome than mice fed a sucralose control solution; however, mice deficient in the fructokinase enzyme were protected from the obesity-inducing effects of the high-salt diet, suggesting that a high-salt diet may induce fructose production in the liver, potentially leading to resistance to the hunger-inhibiting hormone leptin; according to the authors, salt, a noncaloric nutrient, may play a role in obesity development.
Article #17-13837: "High salt intake causes leptin resistance and obesity in mice by stimulating endogenous fructose production and metabolism," by Miguel A. Lanaspa et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Richard J. Johnson, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO; tel: 303-724-4865; e-mail: <richard.johnson@ucdenver.edu>
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