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About 10% to 20% of all adult women have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This syndrome is characterized by a variety of abnormalities: multiple ovarian cysts, anovulation, infertility, and hyperandrogenism, plus abnormal ratios of luteinizing hormone (LH) to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and excess risk for developing insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis. Investigators have searched intensively for a single “prime-mover” molecule that might explain all of these abnormalities — and offer new approaches to therapy.
Noting that prior research suggested that brown fat cells produce a molecule that protects against PCOS, researchers in China transplanted brown fat cells into rats with a disorder t…