Scientists at the Salk Institute in La Jolia, California, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, Massachusetts, have discovered a new class of lipids (FAHFA). These fatty acids had not been identified until then in cells and tissues because their concentrations are very low, which makes them difficult to detect.
Researchers found that humans who produced little FAHFA had a very high risk of diabetes. And that this biological process was identical in mice.
“High levels of these lipids appear to be linked to beneficial effects in mice as well as in humans,” explains Dr. Barbara Kahn, vice-president of the BIDMC faculty of medicine, and lead author of this study.
Then the researchers inoculated these fatty acids into mice that were genetically engineered to develop a Type 2 diabetes. Thanks to this operation, the rodents saw their blood sugar level drop.
FAHFA lipids alter blood sugar levels
“This research could indicate that changes in the levels of FAHFA lipids, hitherto unknown, play a role in the onset of diabetes,” said Alan Saghatelian, professor of biology at the Salk Institute.
“These fatty acids are amazing, because they can also reduce inflammation, which suggests that besides diabetes, we may discover possibilities of using these molecules to fight chronic inflammations, such as Crohn’s disease or arthritis, ”he adds.
“We hope that this discovery will allow the development of new therapies capable of boosting the human body’s ability to control blood sugar,” he concludes.
An encouraging discovery given the alarming figures on the development of type 2 diabetes.
A fatal disease that progresses rapidly
According to the latest study by the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance, for around 2.5 million diabetics reported to doctors or medical institutes, 92% are type 2. The evolution of this disease in France and around the world leaves little room for optimism due to poor eating habits and daily life more and more sedentary. Already in 2000, the WHO predicted that there would be nearly a million additional diabetics in France by 2030. On the European continent, this total should drop from 33 million in 2000 to 48 million in 2030.
Half of people with diabetes die from cardiovascular disease. Between 10 and 20% of Europeans die of kidney failure, 10% develop severe visual impairment and 50% suffer from diabetic neuropathy.
