The DOI matches its Crossref record; 33 of the 33 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Intranasal Insulin Reduces Body Fat in Men but not in Women
Open accessAbstract
Insulin acts in the central nervous system to reduce food intake and body weight and is considered a major adiposity signal. After intranasal administration, insulin enters the cerebrospinal fluid compartment and alters brain functions in the absence of substantial absorption into the blood stream. Here we report the effects of 8 weeks of intranasal administration of insulin (4 × 40 IU/day) or placebo to two groups of healthy human subjects (12 men and 8 women in each group). The insulin-treated men lost 1.28 kg body wt and 1.38 kg of body fat, and their waist circumference decreased by 1.63 cm. Plasma leptin levels dropped by an average of 27%. In contrast, the insulin-treated women did not lose body fat and gained 1.04 kg body wt due to a rise in extracellular water. Our results provide a strong, first confirmation in humans that insulin acts as a negative feedback signal in the regulation of adiposity and point to a differential sensitivity to the catabolic effects of insulin based on sex.
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“Indeed, intranasal insulin—which reaches the brain directly along olfactory perivascular channels—reduces body fat in men but not in women [33].”
From Sex differences in metabolic homeostasis, diabetes, and obesity (2015) · cites this paper as [33]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Of note, experimental studies suggest considerable sex differences in brain insulin sensitivity.”
From Brain insulin action on peripheral insulin sensitivity in women depends on menstrual cycle phase (2023) · cites this paper as [26]
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In the citing paper
“Nevertheless, daily nasal insulin administration over 8 weeks reduced body weight and body fat content only in men, whereas women showed no reduction in body adiposity26.”
From Brain insulin action on peripheral insulin sensitivity in women depends on menstrual cycle phase (2023) · cites this paper as [26]
In the citing paper
“suggesting that delivery schedules synced to food intake 39,42,44,47 might be necessary for the catabolic impact of IN insulin to emerge.”
From Intranasal insulin (2021) · cites this paper as [42]
In the citing paper
“In healthy, normal-weight humans, IN insulin administration for 8 weeks (4 × 40 IU day -1 ) reduced body weight and body fat content in men, but not women.”
From Intranasal insulin (2021) · cites this paper as [42]
In the citing paper
“The loss of body fat in the men was associated with a 27% reduction in the circulating concentrations of leptin.”
From Intranasal insulin (2021) · cites this paper as [42]
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Citations
Cites
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Sex and Gender Differences in Risk, Pathophysiology and Complications of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Kautzky-Willer, A., Harreiter, J., & Pacini, G. (2016) · Endocrine Reviews · doi:10.1210/er.2015-1137 · Cited by 2,043
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“Indeed, intranasal insulin—which reaches the brain directly along olfactory perivascular channels—reduces body fat in men but not in women [33].”
BackgroundBrain Insulin Resistance at the Crossroads of Metabolic and Cognitive Disorders in Humans
Kullmann, S., Heni, M., Hallschmid, M., Fritsche, A., Preissl, H. T., & Häring, H. (2016) · Physiological Reviews · doi:10.1152/physrev.00032.2015 · Cited by 654
“Eight weeks of intranasal insulin treatment reduced body weight and body fat content in healthy men but not in women (144), whereas obese men did not lose body fat during intranasal insulin treatment but still showed improved declarative memory performance (FIGURE 8) (143).”
BackgroundSelf-citationPower, M. L., & Schulkin, J. A. (2007) · British Journal Of Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s0007114507853347 · Cited by 645
“Intranasal insulin reduced feelings of hunger in men but not in women((49)).”
Gonadal Hormones Determine Sensitivity to Central Leptin and Insulin
Clegg, D. J., Brown, L. M., Woods, S. C., & Benoit, S. C. (2006) · Diabetes · doi:10.2337/diabetes.55.04.06.db05-1339 · Cited by 552
“We previously reported that the brain of male rats is relatively more sensitive to the catabolic action of insulin, whereas the brain of female rats is relatively more sensitive to the catabolic action of leptin (35,36); analogous data have recently been reported for humans (37).”
Metadata
- Authors
- Hallschmid, M., Benedict, C., Schultes, B., Fehm, H.-L., Born, J., & Kern, W.
- Affiliations
- University of Lübeck (DE)
- Institute of Neuroendocrinology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
- Venue
- Diabetes
- Publisher
- American Diabetes Association
- Published
- 2004-11-01
- Volume
- 53
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 3024-3029
- ISSN
- 0012-1797 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-327X
- OpenAlex
- W2157247104
- Cited by
- 281
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 21
- FWCI
- 3.95
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Diabetes (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Keywords
- intranasal insulin, fat loss, sex differences, leptin, waist circumference, plasma leptin, extracellular water, weight loss
- MeSH terms
- Adipose Tissue, Administration, Intranasal, Body Weight, Extracellular Space, Female, Humans, Insulin, Male, Placebos, Reference Values, Sex Characteristics, Body Mass Index
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