Overweight people 'hold key' to tackling diabetes, according to experts

By Peter Henn

HAVING stem cells that are better at storing fat in the body could hold the key to tackling diabetes, experts believe.
Some obese people seem to be immune from the health complications usually associated with carrying extra weight, researchers from the University of Bristol discovered.
They now want to use their findings to help stop people at risk of Type 2 diabetes from developing the condition.
Scientists found that overweight people whose stem cells stored fat more efficiently had a lower risk of diabetes than their overweight peers.
Storing fat more efficiently means that it is less likely to form deposits on the heart, liver or kidneys which increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease which can cause heart attacks and stroke.
The joint study between Bristol and the Anti-Doping Laboratory Qatar (ADLQ) found the lower risk group had less of a blood protein called interleukin-6 which regulates inflammation.
It is found in raised levels in people who have diabetes, heart conditions and some forms of cancer.
Dr Mohamed Elrayess, from ADLQ, said: “In this study we have shown that the impaired ability of fat stem cells to store excess fat was partially due to increased levels of the inflammatory marker interleukin-6 in the blood.
“Indeed, when fat stem cells isolated from healthy obese individuals were exposed to interleukin-6 in the laboratory, they behaved like those obtained from individuals with risk of diabetes.”
Now there are plans to look into making the stem cells of people who are in a pre-diabetic stage more efficient in a bid to stop them developing the condition.
Dr Wael Kafienah, from Bristol’s School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, said there had been a lot of interest in people who weighed more than would normally be considered healthy but did not have any health problems.
He said: “The existence of obese individuals with lower risk of diabetes has received great interest in the past few years, as they may hold the clue to understanding and possibly treating obesity-associated diabetes.
“Our clinical data confirmed the previously reported variability in obesity-associated pathology.
“Here, we have shown that the group with healthy fat stem cells had lower cholesterol and a better liver function.”
However, the report concerns fat stem cells alone and is not about people’s actual diets.
A source close to the study said: “This isn’t about people being able to eat what they like.”

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/711945/Overweight-people-hold-key-tackling-diabetes-experts-research