Exactly how obesity causes diabetes is still being investigated with great promise. Recent statistics show that about 90% of international cases of type 2 diabetes are diagnosed in patients who are overweight. Furthermore, scientist have begun to notice an increasing trend of both obesity and noncommunicable diseases in the developing world, particularly middle income countries such as Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. Within this group obesity was listed as the fifth greatest medical expenditure after underweight. Rising rates of obesity are particularly seen in urban areas where traditional ways of life and diet are left in preference of Western customs and diet. The paradox of some families where children are underweight and parents are overweight is attributed to intrauterine growth retardation, causing low birth weight that can lead to obesity later in life due to the “thrifty” phenotype that, when accompanied by rapid childhood weight gain contributes to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Within developing countries diabetes is projected to increase from 84 million to 228 million by 2030.
How Obesity Causes Diabetes – Salk Institute
Obesity puts a significant amount of stress on the body leading to inflammation and increased susceptibility to a variety of chronic diseases. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies led by Marc Montminy, Ph.D, discovered a condition called endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which is induced by a high fat diet and is overly active in obese people, causes aberrant glucose production in the liver leading to insulin resistance. ER stress slows the production of proteins in the liver and is found to be abnormally active in obese livers, leading to hyperglycemia. Researchers also investigated the cellular process of ER stress finding that there are two competing factors in the face of ER stress, one that produces glucose and the other that protects cell survival. In the face of chronic stress glucose production is favored more than cell survival, meaning the hyperglycemia persists in conditions of constant stress.
How Obesity Causes Diabetes – Harvard University
The Salk Institute findings were supported by a separate study from researchers at Harvard University, investigating the ER effects on insulin. Researchers in the Harvard study investigated the effect of over consumption of nutrients associated with obesity and the Western diet. The inundation of nutrients in the body sets off a cellular process that suppresses insulin receptors. In obese individuals the process of constantly switching off insulin receptors creates ER stress that acts as a trigger for chronic illness. According to the Obesity Society, losing five to ten pounds if you are overweight can significantly reduce or delay the onset of diabetes.
