title: Does regular ethanol consumption promote insulin sensitivity and leanness by stimulating AMP-activated protein kinase?
abstract: There is good reason to believe that regular moderate alcohol consumption promotes insulin sensitivity of skeletal muscle; conceivably, this benefits the protective effects of moderate drinking on vascular health and risk for obesity and diabetes. The mechanism responsible for alcohol's insulin-sensitizing activity remains obscure. As a working hypothesis, it is proposed that metabolism of acetate in peripheral tissues generates sufficient levels of AMP to temporarily stimulate the AMP-activated protein kinase, which in turn induces the synthesis of certain long-lived proteins that act to boost insulin sensitivity and possibly aid the efficiency of fat oxidation as well.
authors.affiliation: Pantox Laboratories, San Diego, California 92109, USA.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: McCarty
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001823:Body Composition; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases