Does a high fat cause type 2 diabetes? - Articles - Happyweight

Does a high fat cause type 2 diabetes?

Some research has found that high-fat diets affect the way in which the body utilises insulin and this may be  a major contributory factor in the development of type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes used to be called "late onset diabetes" but even young people are developing this disease now and the general incidence of it has doubled over the last 30 years.

I have noticed in my nutrition practice, that had it has become much more prevalent to find clients in their 40s and 50s on diabetic drugs. It is also not unusual for these clients to also be on cholesterol reducing medications. I find this really worrying, because these are medications which we used to think of being prescribed for elderly people.

Why the concern?

There is concern about type 2 diabetes because it predisposes a person to circulatory diseases, macular degeneration, peripheral neuropathy, increased risk of some cancers, impotence, obesity and reduced life span. Frankly, if it isn't tackled, there could be a massive amount of sick people in 20 years and it is feared that these people will be a huge drain on the NHS. Personally, I find it sad to think that someone could become unnecessarily ill through nutrition, when food is something we can control, if we have the knowledge.

So why is it on the rise?

Some new research may be shedding light on why people are developing diabetes more frequently.

If you are familiar with the glycaemic index, you might recall how blood sugar levels are kept stable by the hormone called insulin. When we eat food containing sugar or carbohydrates which convert to sugar, these sugars enter the blood stream. The level of them is monitored by pancreatic beta cells and when these detect sugars (glucose) they release a hormone called insulin. Insulin takes the sugars and stores them for later use. Some of them go into storage in the muscles and liver to provide immediate energy. Once these storage facilities are filled up, the surplus is converted into fat and delivered into the fat cells for longer term storage.

Writing in the journal Nature Medicine, Researchers at the University of California and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have just published research on mice and samples of human pancreatic cells which demonstrate that a high fat diet interferes with this process.

The important enzyme which allows the cells to absorb sugars is called GnT-4a. However, this research showed that when there are high levels of fatty acids in the bloodstream (that is, high levels of fat from a high-fat diet), the body is not able to make this enzyme so easily. So then the pancreatic cells are not able to detect the amount of sugars in the blood and cannot produce the right amount of insulin. This caused high blood sugar and low blood insulin, fatty liver and other factors which have been associated with insulin resistance and diabetes.

What might this mean for weight gain?

As reported in my previous article, we are now getting around 40% of our calories from fat, which is considered high. Not only does this add concentrated, easy to absorb calories to our energy intake, but it also then impairs insulin’s function leading to glucose intolerance which further diminishes a person’s ability to lose weight. It then can become a vicious circle. Sometimes people with impaired glucose tolerance and associated conditions like syndrome X, feel hungry even after they have eaten a meal, making it even more challenge for them to lose weight. They are caught between a rock and a hard place.

What to do?

It is not clear from the research what type of fats were used in this study and it may be that different fats have different effects on this enzyme. It would be interesting to see if all the fatty acids have this effect. In the interim, it would seem prudent to have adequate beneficial fats and oils to the level of around 20-25% of daily energy intake, and derived from healthy sources like seeds, nuts, oily fish and flax oils. Foods which are very high in fat, fried foods, dressings, mayonnaise, spreads, pizza, fatty meats and fast food, are best monitored in order to keep fat levels down.

I have supported several diabetics in reducing and then stopping their medication safely with their doctor’s supervision. Type 2 diabetes can be reversed; recent science shows this to be true. It is best undertaken by a nutritional therapist with a good understanding of it and how diet impacts it. If you have this disease and would like help with it, and/or with weight loss, please call me for a chat on 0844 8001197.