路透社报道，美国研究学者称，囤积于盆、臀部周围的脂肪具有防护糖尿病的作用。研究学者称，皮下脂肪以及囤积于皮肤下的脂肪能够增强机体对胰岛素的敏感性（众所周知，胰岛素具有调节控制血糖的作用）。

　　研究发现，虽然饮食与活动水平没有改变，但腹部深处被移植的小鼠却出现体重减轻，脂肪细胞萎缩等现象。于《细胞代谢杂志》发表学术文章的罗纳尔多.凯恩博士（波士顿哈佛医学院）在一次电话采访中说：“这是个令人惊喜的现象，我们发现了这种脂肪的有益功效，尤其是当把这种脂肪移植于腹内的时候。”

　　凯恩说他开始这项研究是为了研究探索为什么分布于不同部位的脂肪似乎有不同的致代谢病（入糖尿病）危险因素。研究者已经发现，囤积与腹部的脂肪（被称为内脏脂肪）会增加一个人患糖尿病及心脏病的危险，而“梨形身材”的人（往往臀部囤积有大量的脂肪）却不容易发生这些病。现在已经证实皮下脂肪对防护糖尿病具有积极作用。

　　凯恩以及他的同僚们进行了一系列的实验研究，他们将一些小鼠（施予者）皮下的脂肪移植到另外一些小鼠（授予者）的腹部与皮下。几周后，授予者小鼠体重开始减轻，同时，与假手术组的小鼠比较起来，他们的血糖水平和胰岛素水平更趋于正常。“实验发现，当我们将脂肪放置于皮下或腹部的任一位置，代谢水平会有所改善。”凯恩说，“我认为这是一个重要的发现，一来，通过这个实验证明了一点——不是所有的脂肪都是有害的，再者，这一发现为我们指明了一个新的方向，我们可以在此做更多的事情。”

　　凯恩的研究小组现在正在致力于发现由皮下脂肪产生的具有糖尿病防护作用的物质，以寻求研发出具有此功能的一种新药。凯恩说，现在已经获知的脂肪所产生几种激素中，尚没有发现任一种与此作用或过程有关。“如果我们可以发现这些物质，我们也许就可以有机会将它们转化成药，或者指导新药的研发。”

Scientists find something good about a big bottom

By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A type of fat that accumulates around the hips and bottom may actually offer some protection against diabetes, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

They said subcutaneous fat, or fat that collects under the skin, helped to improve sensitivity to the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar.

Mice that got transplants of this type of fat deep into their abdomens lost weight and their fat cells shrank, even though they made no changes in their diet or activity levels.

"It was a surprising result," said Dr. Ronald Kahn of Harvard Medical School in Boston, whose study appears in the journal Cell Metabolism.

"We actually found it had a beneficial effect, and it was especially true when you put it inside the abdomen," Kahn said in a telephone interview.

Kahn said he started the study to find out why fat located in different parts of the body seems to have different risks of metabolic disease such as diabetes.Researchers have known for some time that fat that collects in the abdomen -- known as visceral fat -- can raise a person's risk of diabetes and heart disease, while people with pear-shaped bodies, with fat deposits in the buttocks and hips, are less prone to these disorders.

Now it turns out that subcutaneous fat -- fat found just under the skin -- may be actively protecting people from metabolic disease.

Kahn and colleagues conducted a series of experiments on mice where they transplanted subcutaneous fat from donor mice into the bellies and under the skin of mice.

Mice that got subcutaneous fat transplanted into their bellies started to slim down after several weeks, and they also showed improved blood sugar and insulin levels compared to mice that underwent a sham procedure.

"What we found was that when we put it in either place, there was some improvement in metabolism," Kahn said.

"I think it's an important result because not only does it say that not all fat is bad, but I think it points to a special aspect of fat where we need to do more research," he said.

Kahn's team is working to find the substances produced in subcutaneous fat that provide the benefit with the hope of developing a drug that might copy this effect. Although fat is known to produce several hormones, Kahn said none of the known hormones appeared to be involved in this process.

"If we can capture those (substances), we might have an opportunity to convert them into drugs or use them as guides to help develop drugs," he said.

(Editing by Maggie Fox and Doina Chiacu)