The Roots Of Type 2 Diabetes
(From EurekAlert). Researchers are digging into the biochemical roots of type 2 (age-related) diabetes: "knocking out a single gene encoding the enzyme GnT-4a glycosyltransferase (GnT-4a ) disrupts insulin production. ... a high-fat diet suppresses the activity of GnT-4a and leads to type 2 diabetes due to failure of the pancreatic beta cells ... In its earliest phases, the disease causes failure of insulin-secreting beta cells in the pancreas, which leads to elevated blood glucose levels. As the disease progresses, the insulin-secreting beta cells overcompensate for the elevated blood glucose, and eventually pump out too much insulin. This leads to insulin resistance and full-blown type 2 diabetes. The new studies suggest that people with an inherited predisposition to type 2 diabetes might have variations in the gene for GnT-4a." The simple solution is, of course, appropriate diet and lifestyle choices.
Link: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-12/hhmi-rdh122105.php