Leading cause of type 2 diabetes confirmed: Chemicals produced to break down sugar worsen condition
Researchers from the University of Oxford examined how type 2 diabetes progresses
Found chemicals released when sugar is broken down cause patient decline
Discovery could lead to new treatments that could slow the effects of the condition
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Scientists have wondered for years how exactly high blood sugar exacerbates the effects of type 2 diabetes.
But researchers at the University of Oxford have now discovered why it makes the condition worse.
Their study looked at how cells in the pancreas that make the hormone insulin — which lowers blood sugar — become less effective as diabetes progresses.
They found glucose metabolites — the chemicals released when sugar is broken down — rather than glucose itself behind the decline.
The discovery could lead diabetic patients to receive new treatments to slow glucose metabolism, preventing the condition from getting worse, they said.
Type 2 diabetes affects about 2 million people in the UK and 37 million in the US. It occurs when blood sugar is too high, which can lead to complications such as blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage if not controlled.
Patients are currently encouraged to eat well and exercise to maintain a healthy weight and slow progression.
Medications such as Glucophage to improve insulin function are usually prescribed later if diet and exercise alone are not effective.
However, the latest research could lead to new drugs that could stop the disease in the first place.
Oxford University researchers found that glucose metabolites — the chemicals released when sugar is broken down — rather than glucose itself are behind the progression of type 2 diabetes
Co-author Professor Frances Ashcroft, a physiologist, said: ‘This may be a useful way to try and prevent the decline of beta cells in diabetes.
‘Since glucose metabolism normally stimulates insulin secretion, it was previously hypothesized that increasing glucose metabolism would improve insulin secretion in T2D. [type 2 diabetes] and glucokinase activators were tried, with varying results.’
She added: ‘Our data suggest that glucokinase activators may have an adverse effect and, somewhat counterintuitively, that a glucokinase inhibitor could be a better strategy to treat T2D.
“Of course it would be important to reduce the glucose flux in T2D to that in people without diabetes — and no further.”
‘But there is still a long way to go before we can say whether this approach would be useful for treating beta cell decline in T2D.
“In the meantime, the main message from our research if you have type 2 diabetes is that it’s important to keep your blood glucose under good control.”
The study, published in the journal nature communicationlooked at the effects of hypoglycemia – high blood sugar – in diabetic mice.
When people eat carbohydrates, the food is broken down into blood sugar. This tells the pancreas to release insulin, which allows glucose to enter the body’s cells.
But over time, high blood sugar levels can cause insulin resistance.
Because the insulin is not as effective at breaking down the sugars, it causes the body to produce more and more of it.
Ultimately, this leads to the pancreas becoming worn out, confusing the system and keeping blood sugar high.
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