Breaking Medical News Archive
Abnormality Inside Muscle Cells Linked to Type 2 Diabetes
posted 02/12/04
Type 2 diabetes is, in large part, genetic. When the disease runs
in families, even lean healthy children often have subtle abnormalities
in their ability to metabolize sugar efficiently.
In the February 12, 2004, issue of the New England Journal
of Medicine, Yale University researchers report on their comparisons
of 14 young lean insulin-resistant individuals with 12 age-weight-activity
matched insulin-sensitive controls. They found an abnormality in
the mitochondria—the tiny organelles that act as powerhouses
inside the cells of the body. Specifically, the problem appears
to be due to a reduction in mitochondrial activity which may be
due to a reduction in mitochondrial content in muscle cells, which,
in turn, leads to a failure to metabolize fat properly. As fat builds
up within muscle cells, it leads to insulin resistance by interfering
with insulin signaling.
Even so, genes are not destiny. The tendency to develop diabetes
manifests much more commonly in individuals who are overweight and
sedentary than in those who are lean and physically active. The
same authors have recently shown that activation of an enzyme called
AMP kinase in muscle, which occurs with exercise, can lead to increased
mitochondrial biogenesis.
Here is the reference:
Petersen KF, Dufour S, Befroy D, Garcia R, Shulman GI. Impaired
mitochondrial activity in the insulin-resistant offspring of patients
with
type 2 diabetes. N Engl J Med 2004;350:664-71.
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