Researchers from Japan discovered that regulating blood insulin levels may help lower the risk of getting COVID-19.
Researchers from Osaka University have revealed that a protein called GRP78 helps the virus that causes COVID-19 bind to and enter cells. Aging, obesity, and diabetes are known to be associated with increased blood insulin levels.
The group wondered whether insulin was involved in GRP78 expression. They found that exposing cells to insulin did induce expression of GRP78. It was found that treatment using widely prescribed anti-diabetic drugs that reduce insulin levels successfully reduce expression level of GRP78.
Thus, exercise and calorie restriction in a mouse-model also worked to reduce GRP78 levels in adipose tissue.
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