Not all types of fat are harmful

HONG KONG - Reuters



While it has long been held that too much fat in the liver may result in diabetes, researchers appear to have discovered that not all types of fat are harmful.

Writing in the latest issue of Nature Medicine, a group of Japanese scientists described how they changed the fat composition in the livers of mutant mice and fed them exactly the same rich, fatty diet as other mice.

But while all the rodents became obese and the normal mice developed resistance to insulin and became prone to diabetes, the mutant group was free from those problems.

"Obesity is a matter of quantity of fats in the body, but it is our new message that the quality of fats could be a new determinant factor for diabetes," said Hitoshi Shimano of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences.

Excessive fat intake leads to obesity and overwhelms the storage capacity of fat cells, with surplus fat being stored in the liver.

The absolute levels of fat in the liver do not therefore seem to be detrimental to maintaining normal glucose levels. Instead, the types of fat that are present seem to be a more important factor, with shorter fat molecules being healthier than longer ones," the researchers wrote.



Obese but not diabetic:

Shimano and his colleagues created a batch of mice lacking Elovl6, an enzyme that increases the length of the carbon chains of fatty acids.

That changed the fat composition in the liver of these mutant, or knock-out (KO) mice, which ended up with more short fatty acids than longer chains.

"Unlike normal mice that became insulin resistant and prone to diabetes after they became obese, the KO mice were free from insulin resistance and diabetes. In other words, we made mice that did not become diabetic even after they became obese."

Shimano held out hope that drugs could be made to inhibit this enzyme in people and change the fat composition in their livers so that the risk of diabetes could be reduced for those who are obese and who find it hard to lose weight.

"If what we found in these mice is applicable to humans, a drug that inhibits this enzyme could be a miracle anti-diabetic drug that does not require diet," Shimano wrote.

Diabetes is the interaction between genetic and environmental factors caused by a common disease, clinical high blood sugar as the main indicator, drink more common symptoms, polyuria, such as thinner and more fresh. If patients with diabetes are not effective treatment, multiple systems can cause physical damage. Diabetes-type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes and more of them occurred in young people, their lack of insulin secretion, insulin must rely on life-sustaining treatment. Type 2 diabetes was particularly prevalent in the 30-year-old later, the elderly, their insulin secretion is not low even higher, the major cause of the body is not sensitive to insulin (insulin resistance). Insulin is the body s secretion of pancreatic beta cells of the body only hypoglycemic hormone. Insulin resistance refers to the body s surrounding tissue sensitivity to insulin decreased organization is not sensitive to insulin, peripheral organizations, such as muscle, fat on insulin for glucose uptake in the role of the resistance. Prevalence study found that insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes, accounting for almost 90%, may be the incidence of type 2 diabetes one of the main factors. Therefore, the diabetes drug therapy should address its causes, concentrate on improving insulin resistance, and pancreatic beta-cell function protection, we must use to improve insulin resistance drugs. These drugs primarily insulin sensitizer, in patients with diabetes is a timely and effective way and the treatment, prevention of chronic complications of diabetes and development. Insulin sensitizers can increase the body s sensitivity to its own insulin, insulin to make their own revival and fully play its role, this would enable the blood sugar can be re-uptake by the body cells and the use of blood glucose decreased to achieve long-term, stable and comprehensive control of blood glucose purpose, humans can enjoy their own long-term secretion of insulin. Diabetes treatment must be diet control, exercise therapy as the premise. Diabetics should avoid sugar and sugar into food, reducing the consumption of high-fat and high-cholesterol food, regular consumption of high-fiber and starch food to eat meals. The choice movement should be carried out under the guidance of a doctor, as far as possible should do body movement, including walking and jogging, and so on. On this basis, appropriate application of insulin sensitizer drugs, and not excessive use of drugs to stimulate the secretion of insulin in order to achieve long-term effective control of blood sugar goals.

Additional information :

From www.turkishdailynews.com.tr:
However, since the fairly recent discovery regarding the role insulin resistance plays many experts now believe that diet should be a part of the treatment.
Modifications of the changes in body composition with aging by diet and exercise training could delay the onset of insulin.
To best understand the components of an insulin resistance diet, it is helpful to understand the mechanics of insulin itself. The following.
Most intestinal gas is produced from carbohydrates in the diet. Insulin Resistance sufferers who eat carbohydrates suffer from gas, lots of it.
Insulin resistance is a major factor in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and is strongly associated with obesity, according.
Diet is a mainstay of treatment along with exercise and weight loss. A low calorie diet reduces insulin resistance in days even before.
Know foods to be avoided and those to be concentrated upon in case of patients having insulin resistance. Insulin.