Gene Oppositely Controlled By Dietary Protein, Sugar

Techno-babble of the week award.

"Researchers have discovered a gene in flies whose activity rises and falls depending upon the amount of protein and sugar in the insects' diets. The findings, reported in the April issue of Cell Metabolism, might shed light on the way the insects' bodies - and perhaps those of humans too - handle dietary extremes, including high-protein, low-carb diets like the Atkins, according to the researchers. These findings are also yielding new clues about the links between diet and life span.

The gene, which the researchers call tobi (short for target of brain insulin), encodes an evolutionarily conserved a-glucosidase enzyme that converts stored glycogen into glucose.

The current study indicates that proteins may have a greater effect than sugars on insulin signaling, and evidence is growing that quality and not only quantity of calories taken in has an influence on life span," the researchers said. "Therefore, teasing apart the relative contributions of dietary proteins and sugars in insulin signaling should prove insightful...

'What is novel and exciting in the work of [Pankratz and colleagues] is the combination of gene regulation studies, endocrinology, and physiology in a model genetic organism whose genome and gene regulatory linkages can be readily compared to the human genome,' wrote Eric Rulifson of the University of California, San Francisco, in an accompanying commentary. 'Given the accumulating parallels between the islet-like cells of Drosophila and the pancreatic islets of mammals, it would not be surprising if this homeostatic mechanism, and possibly others yet to be found, is evolutionarily conserved between flies and humans.'"

Oh, shut up.

Real people, just lose weight.

Fewer Calories in than out. That is all.