New Theory on How Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Disease Begin

Contact: Samiha KhannaPhone: 919-419-5069Email:[e-mail]://www.dukehealth.orgEMBARGOED FOR RELEASE until 4 p.m. (ET) on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016DURHAM, N.C. -- Does eating too much sugar cause type 2 diabetes?The answer may not be simple, but a study published Sept. 26 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation adds to growing research linking excessive sugar consumption -- specifically the sugar fructose -- to a rise in metabolic disease worldwide.The study, conducted in mice and corroborated in human liver samples, unveils a metabolic process that could upend previous ideas about how the body becomes resistant to insulin and eventually develops diabetes.  The increasing prevalence of diabetes is considered a health epidemic as more than 29 million people in the U.S. have diabetes and another 86 million have pre-diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.“There is still significant controversy as to whether sugar consumption is a major contributor to the development of diabetes,” said senior authorMark Herman, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition at Duke University School of Medicine.“Some investigators contend that commonly consumed amounts of sugar do not contribute to this epidemic,” Herman said. “While others are convinced that excessive sugar ingestion is a major cause. This paper reveals a specific mechanism by which consuming fructose in large amounts, such as in so da...

Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - September 28, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Medicine Source Type: news