Some Diabetes News

More fun with squirrelly receptors:

...the scientists found that mice lacking ALK7 accumulated less fat and gained less weight than their normal counterparts when fed on a high-fat diet. They discovered that another growth factor called GDF3 could also signal via the ALK7 receptor, and that mice lacking GDF3 showed similar defects in fat deposition and weight gain as the ALK7 mutants. Intriguingly, however, mutant mice consumed equal amounts of food as their normal counterparts during the experiment.

“These results show that lack of ALK7 or GDF3 improves energy balance in the body under regimes of high caloric intake”, says Carlos Ibáñez.

Just hang in there, folks, and we'll all live to be a hundred and fifty.