Topic
Insulin resistance and breast cancer
Instructions
Write about Insulin resistance and breast cancer
Answer Preview
Insulin is responsible for the cellular response through several pathways, including PI3/Akt signaling, which results in AMPK activation. It has been shown that AMPK is involved in the regulation of cellular functions such as fuel metabolism, energy state, mitochondrial biogenesis, protein and ceramide synthesis, cell growth, and proliferation. The activity of AMPK is significantly affected in adipose tissue from obese subjects with insulin resistance (Tower et al., 2007). Insulin-like peptides (ILPs) such as IGF-1 can bind to insulin receptors and activate intracellular responses similar to those that insulin triggers. In obese individuals, high levels of IGF-1 and insulin generates a mitogenic and anti-apoptotic environment that enhances the accumulation of mutations favoring carcinogenesis (Van Kruijsdijk et al., 2009). Excess body weight is directly related to insulin resistance.
Word Count: 1900