Is energy deficiency good in moderation?
Freyer C; Larsson NG Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 141 86, Stockholm, Sweden. In this issue, Pospisilik et al. (2007) demonstrate that a reduction in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation protects mice against obesity and diabetes. This finding suggests that the moderate deficiency in oxidative phosphorylation that is observed in peripheral tissues of insulin-resistant humans is not a causative factor in diabetes but may instead be a compensatory response.
