The activity of the endocannabinoid metabolising enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase in subcutaneous adipocytes correlates with BMI in metabolically healthy humans
2011

FAAH Activity in Adipocytes and BMI

Sample size: 28 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Jemma C. Cable, Garry D. Tan, Stephen P. Alexander, Saoirse E. O'Sullivan

Primary Institution: University of Nottingham

Hypothesis

Does FAAH and MGL activity in human subcutaneous adipocytes correlate with body mass index (BMI) and other markers of adiposity and metabolism?

Conclusion

FAAH activity in subcutaneous adipocytes increases with BMI, while MGL activity does not correlate with BMI or other metabolic markers.

Supporting Evidence

  • FAAH activity positively correlates with BMI and waist circumference.
  • MGL activity shows no relationship with BMI or other adiposity indices.
  • FAAH activity does not correlate with fasting serum insulin, glucose, or adipokine levels.

Takeaway

This study found that as people get heavier, a specific enzyme in their fat cells becomes more active, but another enzyme does not change.

Methodology

Subcutaneous adipocytes were isolated from fasting blood samples of 28 metabolically healthy subjects, and FAAH and MGL activities were measured using radiolabelled substrates.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to the exclusion of subjects with metabolic diseases and the small sample size.

Limitations

The study only included metabolically healthy subjects and did not assess the effects of obesity-related metabolic diseases.

Participant Demographics

14 males and 14 females aged 20-48 years with a BMI range of 19.1-33.8 kg/m².

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.047

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1476-511X-10-129

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