Leptin and Obesity Related to Cancer

Main Entry: lep?tin
Pronunciation: lep-t n
Function: noun
: A peptide hormone that is produced by fat cells and plays a role in body weight regulation by acting on the hypothalamus to suppress appetite and burn fat stored in adipose tissue

Leptin plays an important fat-burning role in humans. Although scientists know this, they still haven't figured out the key to how and why the hormone works. Scientists have found, however, that leptin triggers production of the active form of a peptide - ?MSH - in the hypothalamus. This stimulates the pituitary gland, which secretes a hormone that relays the message to the thyroid, the master of metabolism. Once activated, the thyroid gland then spreads word to the body's cells to increase energy production.

This is an important hormone for scientist to depict due to the fact that obesity has been proven to increase the risk of cancer. 61 percent of adults are overweight or obese and 13 percent of children and adolescents are seriously overweight. This epidemic exacts a steep toll: Each year, about 300,000 Americans die of obesity-related causes. The economic cost of obesity was about $117 billion in 2000.

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