Applies to mice, but interesting.

It is not inconsistent with how both low fat and low carb diets may
work.

i
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How fatty diet may cause diabetes
Researchers say they have discovered how a high-fat Western-style diet
may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

A team at the University of California, San Diego found eating lots of
fat blocks production of an enzyme key to the production of the
hormone insulin.

The study was carried out on mice, but the researchers hope their
findings will lead to new ways to treat and prevent the condition in
man.

Details are published in the journal Cell.

The number of people with diabetes has soared to over two million in
the UK.

Of these, the vast majority - about 1.7 million - have the type 2
diabetes, which is associated with obesity.

The San Diego team found insulin production can be disrupted by
knocking out a single gene which controls production of a key enzyme
called GnT-4a.

If our findings can be applied to humans, they should give us
important insights into how type 2 diabetes may be prevented and
treated
Dr Jamey Marth  

They then showed that a high-fat diet suppresses activity of the same
key gene.

Insufficient levels of the enzyme were found to compromise the ability
of beta cells in the pancreas to produce insulin in response to rising
levels of glucose in the blood, for instance after a meal.

Failure to control glucose levels eventually leads to full-blown type
2 diabetes.

The researchers suggest people with an inherited predisposition to
type 2 diabetes might have variations in the GnT-4a gene.

Molecular pathway

Their study showed that when a beta cell lacks sufficient levels of
GnT-4a it is unable to absorb glucose across its outer membrane in the
usual way.

A direct role in the genetic predisposition to diabetes in man is
speculative
Professor Andrew Hattersley    

Thus it becomes insensitive to rising levels of the sugar, and fails
to secrete insulin in response.

Researcher Dr Jamey Marth said: "If you could somehow stimulate
production of this enzyme, you might be able to render animals, and
perhaps humans, resistant to high-fat diet-induced diabetes.

"If our findings can be applied to humans, they should give us
important insights into how type 2 diabetes may be prevented and
treated."

Andrew Hattersley, Professor of Molecular Medicine, Peninsula Medical
School, Exeter, told the BBC News website: "Understanding why people
who are obese are more likely to develop diabetes is very important
and this research describes a new potential link.

"However, it is uncertain if these mouse models are directly
applicable to man.

"In man there is a complex interaction between genetic susceptibility
and environmental influence in type 2 diabetes and it is likely that
there will be considerable variation in the causes of type 2 diabetes
throughout the world.

"A direct role in the genetic predisposition to diabetes in man is
speculative."

A spokesman for the charity Diabetes UK said: "This is certainly a
very interesting piece of research.

"One thing we do know is that the main factor driving type 2 diabetes
is lifestyle; diet and lack of exercise.

"If we could pinpoint what's behind the diet element that would be a
significant breakthrough."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/4563604.stm

Published: 2005/12/29 00:18:03 GMT

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