Researchers have been able to observe people developing Type 2 diabetes - and confirmed that fat over-spills from the liver into the pancreas, triggering the chronic condition. "We saw that when a person accumulates too much fat, which should be stored under the skin, then it has to go elsewhere in the body. The amount that can be stored under the skin varies from person to person, indicating a 'personal fat threshold' above which fat can cause mischief, said study lead author Roy Taylor from Newcastle university in UK.
The study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, involved a group of people from Tyneside, who previously had Type 2 diabetes but had lost weight and successfully reversed the condition as part of the DiRECT trial, which was funded by diabetes UK.
After two years, more than one third of the group had been free of diabetes and off all diabetes medication for at least two years. Although the majority remained non-diabetic for the rest of the two year study, however, a small group went on to regain weight and re-developed Type 2 diabetes
