Gene discovered linking high-fat diet to T2 diabetes

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RK - 02 Jan 2006 04:13 GMT

Gene discovered linking high-fat diet to diabetes

Last Updated: 2005-12-28 12:00:09 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A team at the University of California at San
Diego has identified a gene that produces an enzyme that enables cells in
the pancreas to recognize glucose and secrete insulin. Furthermore, a high
fat diet suppresses the enzyme.

In a study published in the research journal Cell, Dr. Jamey D. Marth and
colleagues describe the gene that encodes GnT-4a, a glucose transporter
enzyme. Without GnT-4a, beta cells in the pancreas fail to produce insulin
when exposed to glucose and fat.

Marth's team studied mice that did not carry the GnT-4a gene and found that
the animals initially had high blood glucose levels, which progressed to
beta cell failure followed by the development of type 2 diabetes.
Normal mice that carried the GnT-4a enzyme but were fed a high-fat diet had
reduced GnT-4a expression, followed by the chain of events leading to type 2
diabetes.

"Our findings suggest that the current human epidemic in type 2 diabetes may
be a result of GnT-4a enzyme deficiency," Marth commented in a university
release.

If further research confirms the findings, one possible clinical application
would be the development of therapeutic agents that boost GnT-4a levels, and
Marth is currently working on this.

Agents that inhibit GnT-4a may also be useful in preventing a number of
diseases inked to too much insulin production, such as cancer and
cardiovascular disease.

SOURCE: Cell, December 29, 2005.

----
RK, T1/pumper/Animas IR1250
Dx 5/2000 - Joined ASD 8/2000
Last A1C - 12.05 (6.3)
No diabetic complications to date

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Chief - 02 Jan 2006 04:32 GMT

> Gene discovered linking high-fat diet to diabetes
>
[quoted text clipped - 36 lines]
> Last A1C - 12.05 (6.3)
> No diabetic complications to date

Pretty neat stuff. Probably to late for the over 50 T2's but maybe hope
for the next crop.

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Loretta Eisenberg - 02 Jan 2006 16:56 GMT

Reisa, since I am a kid, which was a long time ago, I knew there was a
gene for everything. As time passed, they found more and more genes for
different diseases.

thanks for the information.

Loretta

--
In tribute to the United States of America and the State
of Israel, two bastions of strength in a world filled with strife and
terrorism.

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Susan - 02 Jan 2006 17:41 GMT

> Gene discovered linking high-fat diet to diabetes
>
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> reduced GnT-4a expression, followed by the chain of events leading to type 2
> diabetes.

Here's what happens in large groups of humans, as compared to small
groups of mice:

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 73, No. 6, 1019-1026, June 2001
© 2001 American Society for Clinical Nutrition
Original Research Communication
Dietary fat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in women1,2,3
Jorge Salmerón, Frank B Hu, JoAnn E Manson, Meir J Stampfer, Graham A
Colditz, Eric B Rimm and Walter C Willett

1 From the Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard School of
Public Health, Boston; the Channing Laboratory, the Division of
Preventive Medicine, the Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's
Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston; and the Unidad de
Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios de Salud, Instituto Mexicano
del Seguro Social, Mexico City.

Background: The long-term relations between specific types of dietary
fat and risk of type 2 diabetes remain unclear.

Objective: Our objective was to examine the relations between dietary
fat intakes and the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Design: We prospectively followed 84204 women aged 34–59 y with no
diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer in 1980. Detailed dietary
information was assessed at baseline and updated in 1984, 1986, and 1990
by using validated questionnaires. Relative risks of type 2 diabetes
were obtained from pooled logistic models adjusted for nondietary and
dietary covariates.

Results: During 14 y of follow-up, 2507 incident cases of type 2
diabetes were documented. Total fat intake, compared with equivalent
energy intake from carbohydrates, was not associated with risk of type 2
diabetes; for a 5% increase in total energy from fat, the relative risk
(RR) was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.94, 1.02). Intakes of saturated or
monounsaturated fatty acids were also not significantly associated with
the risk of diabetes. However, for a 5% increase in energy from
polyunsaturated fat, the RR was 0.63 (0.53, 0.76; P < 0.0001) and for a
2% increase in energy from trans fatty acids the RR was 1.39 (1.15,
1.67; P = 0.0006). We estimated that replacing 2% of energy from trans
fatty acids isoenergetically with polyunsaturated fat would lead to a
40% lower risk (RR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.48, 0.75).

*Conclusions: These data suggest that total fat and saturated and
monounsaturated fatty acid intakes are not associated with risk of type
2 diabetes in women, but that trans fatty acids increase and
polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce risk. Substituting nonhydrogenated
polyunsaturated fatty acids for trans fatty acids would likely reduce
the risk of type 2 diabetes substantially.*

Key Words: Dietary fat • polyunsaturated fat • trans fatty acids • type
2 diabetes • risk • women

Susan

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Dennis Rekuta - 03 Jan 2006 04:35 GMT

>> Gene discovered linking high-fat diet to diabetes
>>
>> Last Updated: 2005-12-28 12:00:09 -0400 (Reuters Health)
>>.

<snip>

> Here's what happens in large groups of humans, as compared to small
> groups of mice:
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> Jorge Salmerón, Frank B Hu, JoAnn E Manson, Meir J Stampfer, Graham A
> Colditz, Eric B Rimm and Walter C Willett

The problem I have with the study published in 2001 you quote Susan is
twofold. The data covers 14 years going back into the early 1980's, and
ending in the mid 1990's. That is well before the advances being made in
the Genome Project, and almost 10 years before the current report, which
is late 2005. Finally, the incidences of diabetes being reported in
those years was using the old thresholds for FBG, which have been
tightened significantly. The incidents of diagnosed diabetes would be
much higher using current thresholds, and the results might be very
different.

Dennis (Type 2)

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Susan - 03 Jan 2006 05:48 GMT

> The problem I have with the study published in 2001 you quote Susan is
> twofold. The data covers 14 years going back into the early 1980's, and
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> much higher using current thresholds, and the results might be very
> different.

Points well taken, and there's not a doubt in my mind that some folks
may be metabolically sensitive to saturated fats that are no problem for
most folks. Those years were also the high trans fat years in the food
industry.

Diets high in fat have never proven to be damaging or to do anything but
improve bg, HbA1c, TGLs and lipid ratios and particle size in humans,
where carb quantity and quality is controlled for.

Susan

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