How many times have we passed up a delicious sugary treat because we know that it’s unhealthy for us? It just so happens that scientists may have discovered everyone’s favourite new enzyme: glycerol 3-phosphate phosphatase (G3PP).
– Image Source: Sharyn Morrow, Flickr
A recent study by scientists at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre discovered that the mammalian enzyme, G3PP, played a crucial role in controlling sugar accumulation in the body and certain fat conversion processes. They observed that G3PP was expressed at various levels in different tissues and that in the presence of this enzyme, there was lower body weight gain and higher levels of high-density lipoprotein which may protect against heart attacks and strokes.
The new discovery of the G3PP enzyme could also lead to promising therapeutic treatments of obesity and type II diabetes. Type II diabetes is a disease in which specific cells of the pancreas have been presented with excess glucose, and over time, insulin secreted from these cells loses its function on other cells throughout the body or they do not react to insulin properly. This results in high blood glucose levels that can affect other organs of the body and lead to serious complications such as kidney failure. Since the G3PP enzyme prevents excess production of glucose and is able to detoxify excess sugar from cells, it could play a major role in treating type II diabetes.
credit: Animated Diabetes Patient
According to the Government of Canada, there are approximately 60,000 new cases of type II diabetes yearly. Factors that minimize your risk of type II diabetes include limiting fat and sugar intake, as well as keeping cholesterol and blood fats within a target level.
It’s still too early to say whether or not G3PP will be an effective treatment for the reduction of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Although researchers are optimistic that the G3PP enzyme will reduce the risk of people acquiring type II diabetes, more experimentation with the G3PP enzyme will need to be done before we can determine whether it will be an effective treatment in the future.
– Brian Infanti
