Scientists discover unexpected benefits of cholesterol

22:30   1 November, 2019

Cholesterol is required to activate the receptor responsible for the production of insulin, as an international group of scientists from Lund University, Sweden and the University of Sharjah, UAE, found out. The results of their research were published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology.

According to experts, insulin is the main regulator of glucose in the blood, and the GPR183 receptor located on the surface of pancreatic beta cells plays a key role in its release.

The receptor is activated when it binds to one of the metabolites of cholesterol produced by the liver. According to research leader Albert Salehi, if scientists learn how to activate this receptor, then drugs may appear that will stimulate the production of insulin in people with low cholesterol.

According to the expert, this discovery may help block increased appetite in the near future. The fact is that with a high level of cholesterol, a person also produces this specific metabolite, which results in increased secretion of insulin.

This leads to hunger and weight gain. The researchers' goal is to find a way to block the binding of the receptor to the metabolite.



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