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Study reveals how fatty food causes type 2 diabetes
Mon, 15 Aug 2011
Scientists in the US have identified how a high-fat diet can trigger the onset of type 2 diabete.

Writing in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers from the University of California and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute say they have shown how fat disrupts the production of the pancreatic enzyme GnT-4a, which allows insulin-producing beta cells to monitor blood sugar levels.

Experiments on mice showed that those on a high-fat diet had elevated levels of free fatty acids in the blood. These fatty acids interfered with two proteins - FOXA2 and HNF1A - involved in the production of GnT-4a, which in turn shutdown the enzyme and upset the ability of the beta cells to regulate blood sugar .

As a result, the mice developed several symptoms of type 2 diabetes .

Commenting on the finding, lead researcher Dr Jamey Marth said: "The observation that beta cell malfunction significantly contributes to multiple disease signs, including insulin resistance, was unexpected."

He added: "The identification of the molecular players in this pathway to diabetes suggests new therapeutic targets and approaches towards developing an effective preventative or perhaps curative treatment."

"This may be accomplished by beta cell gene therapy or by drugs that interfere with this pathway in order to maintain normal beta cell function."

Dr Marth and his team are now looking at ways to augment the enzyme's activity in humans.
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