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Researchers have identified a mechanistic link between zinc levels in humans and the risk of type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. Converging lines of evidence have shown that zinc plays a crucial role in insulin production and glucose metabolism. "We know that increasing zinc intake improves blood glucose control in people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, and people with a mutation in a key zinc transporter protein have reduced risk of diabetes." says Shek Man Chim. Chim and colleagues identified a mutation called SLC39A5, associated with increased circulating zinc levels. The team explored its function by genetically engineering...

Resistant starch is a non-digestible fiber that ferments in the large intestine, and consumption of it has previously been shown to have a positive effect on metabolism in animal studies. Now, a four-month randomized controlled trial in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) indicates daily intake of resistant starch can alter gut bacteria composition and lower liver triglycerides and liver enzymes associated with liver injury and inflammation. NAFLD, caused by a buildup of fat in the liver, affects about 30% of the population worldwide. It can lead to severe liver diseases and contribute to other conditions, such as type...

This study is the first to evaluate the separate mechanisms of caffeine and non-caffeine components in mitigating the severity of NAFLD, a common issue linked to Type 2 Diabetes. According to a recent study published in the journal Nutrients by the University of Coimbra, caffeine, polyphenols, and other natural compounds in coffee could play a role in decreasing the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). NAFLD encompasses a range of liver conditions caused by the accumulation of fat in the liver. This can result in liver fibrosis, which can advance to...

When fat accumulates in the liver, the immune system may assault the organ. Research identifies the molecule that trips these defenses, a discovery that helps to explain the dynamics underlying liver damage that can accompany type 2 diabetes and obesity. Researchers mimicked these human metabolic diseases by genetically altering mice or feeding them a high-fat, high-sugar diet. They then examined changes within the arm of the rodent's immune system that mounts defenses tailored to specific threats. When misdirected back on the body, this immune response, which involves B and T cells, damages the organs and tissues it is meant to...

A research group shows that people with fatty liver disease are expected to live almost three years shorter than the general population. People who have been diagnosed with so-called fatty liver, run an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and loss in life expectancy, compared to the general population. These patients have approximately a 2.8 years shorter expected survival, based on collected data from a large number of Swedish patients. However, the risk of death after a heart attack or stroke is still comparable to people without fatty liver. The results of the study are important because they can be...

Now, for the first time, researchers are using diabetes and "cure" in the same sentence. Doctor Donald Jump at Oregon State University eliminated diet-induced diabetes -- or type two diabetes -- in lab mice. "We saw that certain enzymes were being repressed by the high-fat diet," Donald Jump, Ph.D., department of nutrition and exercise sciences, said. The enzyme he's talking about is called fatty acid elongase-five. The more fat we eat, the less of the enzyme we produce. So, when researchers boosted the production of the enzyme in mice livers, they were cured of their diabetes in five days. "The...