Type 2 diabetes and the sweet tooth

Type 2 diabetes and the sweet tooth

Overeating and obesity can in turn lead to type 2 diabetes. The solution seems to be easy: eat less, eat better. It’s all about willpower, isn’t it? But is it really?

Researchers at Imperial College London are looking into the mechanisms through which the brain controls body weight. Glucose, the type of sugar found in the bloodstream, is the main nutrient for the brain. Because of this, if less glucose reaches the brain, it prompts the body to take up more sugar. In some people this mechanism is more active than in others. This can explain the ‘sweet tooth’ some people have.

The pathway which regulates refined sugar intake can be a target for new therapies in the future, helping to combat obesity and diabetes.

Read the original research in the Journal of Clinical Investigation here.

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Carol Willis

Carol Willis - Diabetes Clinic Facilitator

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