Is Type 2 Diabetes a Disease of the Gut?

By Kathleen Blanchard RN for EmaxHealth.com

New research challenges the way Type 2 diabetes starts. According to new findings the disease might start in the gut. The pancreas produce insulin and sugar is stored in the liver, which has led to researchers to look at the two organs rather than the intestines for the cause of diabetes.

In a study published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, researchers found mice unable to produce fatty acid synthase (FAS) in the intestine develop chronic inflammation in the gut, which it also a strong predictor of diabetes. The enzyme is crucial for the production of lipids that are part of the cell membrane structure and essential for energy storage.