Type 2 diabetes is a widespread and escalating disease worldwide. It is associated with a physiological inability to handle glucose, which leads to disease in the heart, vasculature, nerves, kidneys and eyes. Fatty liver disease is also closely related to diabetes.
Growth patterns in early life are important predictors of later risk of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular disease (CVD) and obesity, particular in low and middle-income countries facing a rapid epidemiological and nutritional transition through adaptations to Western lifestyles.
This PhD project aims at elucidating endocrine functions of the colon since the colonic epithelium harbors a high number of the endocrine GLP-1 and PYY secreting cells. These are of great interest because of their highly attractive anti-diabetic and anti-obesity effects. We anticipate that several of the colonic mechanisms for secretion are related to those observed in the small intestine.
Diabetic nephropathy is a common complication that affects 10-30 % of diabetic patients and is characterized by albuminuria, hypertension and kidney tissue changes. Hypertension is known as a leading risk factor for heart disease, death and disability worldwide making it a great health burden. One of the strongest predictors of a poor outcome in diabetes and cardiovascular disease is the degree of renal damage as measured by aberrant loss of plasma albumin into urine.
The endocrine pancreas plays a key role in regulating the nutrient uptake and metabolism. The pancreatic β-cells respond to nutrients in the blood by increasing the insulin secretion, which in turn increases the storage of nutrients.
In normal physiology, glucagon from pancreatic alpha cells plays an important role in maintaining glucose homeostasis via its regulatory effect on hepatic glucose production. Patients with type 2 diabetes exhibit elevated plasma glucagon levels in the fasting state, and glucagon concentrations fail to decrease appropriately and may even increase in response to ingestion of glucose and after ingestion of a mixed meal.
Background: Obesity and type 2 diabetes represent a world-wide problem and their treatment is a growing concern. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) is currently the most successful treatment with diabetes remission rates of 50-80 % and weight loss of 30% in obese individuals. Most importantly, mortality is reduced about 30 %. These results show that there are mechanisms within our own body that can cure diabetes and obesity.
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