Diabetes reversed by reducing pancreatic fat
Researchers in Newcastle University have managed to reverse Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by encouraging fat loss around the pancreas in obese patients. They found that losing less than one gram of fat that accumulates around the pancreas can reverse diabetes. Some participants in the study had T2DM and underwent gastric bypass surgery, with an average diagnosis of T2DM of 6.9 years, whilst some did not have T2DM. After the operation it was found that both groups had lost a similar amount of weight, but the pool of fat surrounding the pancreas in the diabetics was reduced. Furthermore, in these patients insulin secretion and response returned to normal, effectively reversing the diabetes.
The new research demonstrated that changing the level of fat around the pancreas can have a great effect on the presence of T2DM. In addition to this, the disparity of effects between the diabetic and the non-diabetic patients showed that decrease in pancreatic fat is not just related to weight loss, it is specific to T2DM. It is thought that the pool of fat surrounding the pancreas is therefore a direct cause of T2DM. Overall, the study provides hope, with a possibly simple intervention, for those suffering from both obesity and T2DM.
