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Editorial
. 2012 Aug 17;111(5):513-5.
doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.112.276063.

More than just an engine: the heart regulates body weight

Heinrich Taegtmeyer, Antony Rodriguez
Editorial

More than just an engine: the heart regulates body weight

Heinrich Taegtmeyer et al. Circ Res. .

Abstract

A recent study published in Cell may represent a paradigm shift in the way we look at cardiac metabolism: The study identifies the heart as an endocrine organ that regulates body weight. It raises two important questions: What would be the “slimming factor” released by the heart that regulates fuel homeostasis in distant organs? What are the possible mechanisms directing metabolic energy to either storage or dissipation?

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Figure
A putative cardiac “slimming factor” regulates body weight and systemic metabolism, possibly by substrate cycling. See text for details.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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