Can Leptin Resistance Be Suppressed By Removing Aldehydes?
The hormone leptin is produced by fat cells and is known to normally reduce the need to eat. In obese individuals, however, this mechanism does not work properly. They have higher leptin levels yet still consume more food than necessary. This condition is called leptin resistance; the body simply does not respond to leptin's signal, the signal that sufficient fuel is stored in the body. It appears that this condition is closely linked to improper protein/enzyme folding and to endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress), which is where enzymes are created and folded within the cell. What substances can trigger such stress? How about aldehydes formed by the autooxidation of linoleic acid? Could it be 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE)? Would activating the enzyme that breaks down HNE, namely aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2), help? Would this also work to reduce leptin resistance? Perhaps the most serious effect of the increased presence of the toxic aldehyde HNE, derived by the autooxidation of li...