Diabetes May Start In The Intestines

Fri, 17 Feb 2012

Scientists in the US have suggested that problems managing blood sugar levels could originate in the intestines, rather than in the pancreas or the liver, as previously believed.

Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis examined mice lacking the key enzyme, fatty acid synthase (FAS) in their intestine.

FAS is vital for the production of lipids, but people with diabetes have defects in the enzyme as it is regulated by the hormone insulin .

In mice without FAS, the scientists found that bad bacteria invade the colon and the small intestine, creating chronic inflammation in the gut, a powerful predictor of the onset of diabetes .

Inflammation can cause insulin resistance and prevent the production of insulin, interfering with the control of blood sugar and ultimately leading to diabetes. In turn, insulin resistance is also known to promote inflammation .

"Diabetes may indeed start in your gut," said lead investigator Clay F. Semenkovich, MD. "When people become resistant to insulin, as happens when they gain weight, FAS doesn’t work properly, which causes inflammation that, in turn, can lead to diabetes ."

First author Xiaochao Wei, PhD, commented: "Fatty acid synthase is required to keep that mucosal layer intact. Without it, bad bacteria invade cells in the colon and the small intestine, creating inflammation, and that, in turn, contributes to insulin resistance and diabetes ."

The findings were reported in the journal Cell Host and Microbe.

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