Growth Hormone Offers Promise for Treating Abdominal Obesity, According to a Series of Reports in Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders.

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- Central obesity, or fat that accumulates at the waistline rather than in the hips, which carries an increased risk for health disorders such as metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, has been linked to a deficiency in growth hormone (GH), and a series of provocative reports that point to a promising role for GH in reducing abdominal fat and combating obesity are presented in a Special Focus Section in the Spring 2006 issue (Volume 4, Number 1) of Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The Special Focus Section is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/met.

Entitled "Growth Hormone (GH)/Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) Axis and the Metabolic Syndrome," the Special Focus Section includes four leading-edge reports that describe ongoing progress in understanding the role of GH and IGF-1 in obesity and the metabolic syndrome, a constellation of disorders that includes high blood pressure, abnormal blood lipid levels, and impaired glucose tolerance/insulin resistance, all of which are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

In the paper, "Treatment of Obesity Using GH," authors T. Johansen and K. Malmlof describe the therapeutic use of GH for weight reduction. The hormone appears to combat obesity by stimulating the breakdown of fat in the body and blocking natural mechanisms that inhibit lipid mobilization.

Despite these promising findings, GH administration carries its own risks, and the hormone should be used with caution. "GH has many potential advantages and many potential side effects, and judicious use with regulatory approval is recommended," writes Guest Editor Derek LeRoith, MD, PhD, Chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, in the Department of Medicine at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine (New York, NY), in an accompanying editorial.

The Special Focus Section includes a report by M.L. Heiman and D.R. Witcher entitled, "Ghrelin in Obesity," which focuses on the potential therapeutic implications of the recently discovered hormone called gherlin, which is produced by the stomach and has been shown to stimulate appetite. In "Adipogenesis and IGF-1," J. Holly, M. Sabin, C. Perks, and J. Shield explore the role of IGF-1 in the development and function of fat cells. C. Franco, B-A Bengtsson, and G. Johannsson report on the current understanding of how GH, IGF-1, and the metabolic syndrome are related and the ongoing debate over whether a lack of GH causes abdominal fat accumulation or whether central obesity results in a deficiency of GH, in a paper entitled, "The GH/IGF-1 Axis in Obesity: Physiological and Pathological Aspects.

"We are delighted to have a special focus issue on the controversial topic of GH-IGF-1 and the metabolic syndrome with articles by leading researchers in the field. The related topic of Ghrelin is also timely and of great interest in the field of obesity and its treatment," says Journal Editor Vivian Fonseca, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology and Tullis Tulane Alumni Chair in Diabetes at Tulane University Health Sciences Center, in New Orleans, LA

Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders is the only peer-reviewed journal to focus solely on the pathophysiology, recognition, and treatment of metabolic syndrome. The Journal covers a range of topics including insulin resistance, central obesity, glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia with elevated triglycerides, predominance of small dense LDL-cholesterol particles, hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, and oxidative stress and inflammation. Tables of contents and other free sample issues may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Obesity Management, Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics, and Thyroid. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals, newsmagazines, and books is available at www.liebertpub.com.