Diet & Diabetes
Fatty diets lead to diabetes?
In this recent study, James Marth a researcher at the University of California at Santa Barbara, found that a diet overly rich in fats blocked the metabolic pathway for the response to high glucose levels in the blood.
Normally, pancreatic beta cells recognize the sugar levels in the blood and respond by secreting insulin. These cells actually take in the excess glucose from the blood thus triggering the insulin production. I always refer to these beta cells as well as liver cells in topic 2 Membranes when discussing the role of membrane proteins.
However when the diet of mice and humans are loaded with fats, the fats blocked transcription factors that regulate the gene expression for the glucose transporter molecule - glycosyltransferase. Consequently, without the transporter to move the excess glucose into the beta cells, these cells do not produce sufficient amounts of insulin when needed, thus leading to diabetes among other malfunctions in the physiology of the body.
The author of the article refers to the fatty diet leading to diabetes type II or Insulin Independent diabetes- note the "II" in type II and in "Insulin Independent". I find this counter-intuitive as this diet would seem to block the production of insulin when needed which is typical of type I diabetes or Insulin dependent. [1]
Footnotes
- 1. Foulsham, George . "Futurity.org – Fatty diet triggers diabetes onslaught." Futurity.org . N.p., 16 Aug. 2011. Web. 27 Aug. 2011. <http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/fatty-diet-triggers-diabetes-onslaught/?utm_source=Futurity+Today&utm_campaign=a01305b52a-August_178_17_2011&utm_medium=email>.