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You know. People who are overweight have a higher risk of developing diabetes. And also those who have problems with liver health appears to be more exposed to this condition.
The adipose tissue that is concentrated in the laboratory of our body, precisely the liver, therefore becomes a factor to be studied to better understand the nature, and above all the prevention, of type 2 diabetes, the one that mainly affects adults.
American scholars coordinated by Benjamin Renquist of the University of Arizona did so by publishing their results in the journal Cel Reports. Their studies, only experimental, can open the way to new approaches also for the treatment of diabetes, precisely by controlling the well-being of the liver.
The signals that go from the liver to the brain
Since the extra pounds open the way to metabolic alterations and that, on the other hand, fat can also invade the liver, the American experts wanted to investigate what relationship exists between these components. From their research on animal models with type 2 diabetes, one of the keys to this “communication” between fat, liver and brain would be found in gamma-aminobutyric acid) (Gaba).
This compound, which acts as a mediator of nerve messages, is produced by an enzyme in the liver to regulate the action of the nerves. If it is produced in excess, a sort of “short circuit” occurs which in some way also affects the glucose regulation systems.
In particular, the study shows that in animals with type 2 diabetes if you “work” on this enzyme you can induce greater sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that lowers blood sugar, and even weight loss.
It is really too early to hypothesize that something similar also happens in humans, but the hypothesis is certainly fascinating and could lead to targeted treatments on this specific mechanism. In fact, already today there are medicines active on the enzyme produced by the liver precisely the Gaba-transaminase, which allow to reduce its activity. perhaps in the future this path could prove useful for the treatment of diabetes.
Beware of good habits
Waiting for the developments of this research, obviously, we need to focus on healthy habits to keep the liver “lean”, allowing the organ to work at its best. Like? The fatty liver problem is the series of correlations in the clinical picture that can originate in addition to the hepatic effects.
In fact, people with this problem are also at a high risk of cardiovascular diseases (for example heart attack or stroke). Having the “flab” hidden in the folds of the liver, in fact, would mean that one is prone to suffer from the metabolic syndrome, a syndrome characterized by overweight / obesity, diabetes, hypertension, increased triglycerides, reduced good cholesterol or HDL. For this reason, patients with hepatic steatosis must be evaluated for hypertension, dyslipidemia, glucose intolerance / diabetes.
In fact, among the mechanisms that are created in the case of fatty liver disease there is also insulin resistance, a condition that leads the pancreas to produce more insulin to keep blood sugar normal and this in the long run causes diabetes. So recognizing the situation is key. Like? In addition to the inevitable blood tests, such as transaminase checks, an help comes from ultrasound, which allows you to see if the liver is hyper-reflective. In these cases, lipid infarction of the organ may be suspected
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