Research
Hormonal
Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) improve insulin sensitivity primarily by acting as PPAR-gamma agonists, which promotes adipocyte differentiation and reduces the release of free fatty acids and TNF-alpha from adipose tissue, thereby improving peripheral insulin sensitivity.
If prescribed, TZDs like rosiglitazone or pioglitazone are effective medications for improving insulin sensitivity. They work by changing how fat cells behave, reducing harmful substances that block insulin. Be aware they may cause modest weight gain, but this is often subcutaneous fat, which is less harmful than visceral fat.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
The thiazolidinediones are a new class of agents that have been developed to treat type 2 diabetic patients... They act as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) agonists... The mechanism of action of thiazolidinediones involves their binding to the nuclear PPARgamma receptor... Thiazolidinediones cause a significant decrease in the release of free fatty acids and TNFalpha from adipose tissue. This results in a significant decline in plasma levels of these factors and... an improvement in insulin action.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple clinical studies and mechanistic data cited in the review.
Source
Insulin Resistance and Its Treatment by Thiazolidinediones
Harold E. Lebovitz · Recent Progress in Hormone Research · 2001
DOI 10.1210/rp.56.1.265
narrative_reviewCited 183×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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