Diabetes:
A disease in which blood contains too much sugar or glucose- an important source of energy for the body’s cells. Uncontrolled high blood sugar can lead to blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, stroke and amputation of lower limbs.
Blood glucose levels are regulated by the hormone insulin, which is made in pancreas.
Type 1 diabetes: results from lack of insulin.
Type 2 diabetes: body’s inability to use insulin.
Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common form of diabetes around the world. Obesity and lack of physical exercise adds to the development of the diabetes.
- Fast facts about diabetes
Adults with diabetes have a two- to threefold higher risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Type 2 diabetes patients can be treated with oral medication, but they may also need insulin.
More than a fifth of healthcare spending in the U.S. is for people diagnosed with diabetes.
- Learn more about diabetes
The global prevalence of diabetes among adults (90 percent of which is type 2 diabetes) has gone up from 4.7 percent in 1980 to 8.5 percent in 2014.
In the United States, there are more than 29 million people living with diabetes. There are also 86 million living with prediabetes, a serious condition that raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other lifelong health problems.
In their study introduction, the researchers note that it is now well-known that factors such as genes, lifestyle, and diet can influence the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
However, what is less clear is what happens at the molecular level to link these factors to the disease.
The new study uses metabolomics, a relatively new technology that allows scientists to quickly assess the metabolite profiles of people.
Metabolites are molecules that cells in the body – including gut bacteria – produce as byproducts of their activity.
Indolepropionic acid may protect against type 2 diabetes.
Using a particular tool called “nontargeted metabolomics analysis,” the researchers assessed the metabolite profiles of 200 participants in the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study who had impaired glucose tolerance and were overweight when the study began.
Participants were divided into two groups:
One group developed type 2 diabetes within 5years.
Second group did not develop type 2 diabetes during the 15 years of follow-up.
When the researchers compared the metabolite profiles of the two groups, they found that what stood out was differences in levels of indolepropionic acid and certain lipid metabolites.
Further analysis suggested that having high blood levels of indolepropionic acid, a byproduct of gut bacteria, appeared to protect against developing type 2 diabetes.
Also, a diet rich in fiber and whole grain foods appears to increase levels of indolepropionic acid, which in turn raises the amount of insulin produced by the beta cells in the pancreas, note the authors.