Researchers at the University of California, Irvine Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health announced on March 10 that they have identified how the hormone asprosin influences long-term weight change among postmenopausal women in the United States. The study suggests that asprosin may play a significant role in shaping body composition and maintaining weight stability, which could lead to new strategies for obesity prevention.
Weight gain after menopause is known to increase cardiometabolic risk, including type 2 diabetes, but the biological factors behind long-term weight changes are not well understood. Asprosin is a fasting-induced hormone secreted mainly by adipose tissue and is involved in regulating energy balance by stimulating glucose release from the liver and signaling appetite in the brain. While previous research connected asprosin to metabolic disorders, its predictive role in human long-term weight change had not been established until now.
The research team, led by Simin Liu, chair and distinguished professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Wen Public Health, analyzed data from over 4,000 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative. Blood samples collected between September 1993 and December 1998 were used to measure baseline asprosin levels. Changes in body weight, fat accumulation, and lean body mass were tracked over three years. A subset of participants also underwent advanced body composition assessment using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.
Among women without obesity or diabetes at baseline, those with higher asprosin levels gained less weight over three years compared to those with lower levels. They were also less likely to experience major weight gain and more likely to achieve significant weight loss; however, some of this loss was due to reductions in lean body mass. Liu said, “Our findings show that asprosin may help us track and potentially treat weight changes in postmenopausal women.” He added that understanding hormonal factors influencing postmenopausal weight could lead to more precise lifestyle or pharmacologic interventions for preventing obesity while preserving muscle mass.
Further studies are needed to clarify asprosin’s role in developing type 2 diabetes and whether modifying its levels could be an effective clinical intervention. The research was supported by national health institutes and included collaborators from several universities across the country.
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