What is the purpose of body fat? We all have it, some of us a little more than others. As we grow older, some of our diets fall out of balance with our energy needs causing our white fat cells to become swollen.

White fat cells secrete leptin, adiponectin and resistin. Leptin and adiponectin work together in suppressing appetite. Resistin is the newest discovered - and has been found to participate in the inflammatory response and resistence to insulin. It also triggers an immune response to irritation, so it may be the fat cells attempt to shut your piehole because we're not gonna take it. As the white fat cells take on excessive calories they begin swelling, resulting in an inflammatory response.

Inflammation, by definition, is a protective attempt to remove the injurious stimuli (excess calories) and initiate the healing process. As the fat cells dispatch hormones signaling inflammation - one could hypothesize that Type 2 diabetes is a response to an imbalanced diet - calories in versus calories out. So what do our white fat cells do for us? They are designed to store energy for use in times of need. When your body is sending out DEFCON signals of inflammation - I'd say that is a time of need, indeed. Would inducing ketosis till the swelling goes down help?

Thousands of pre-school age children are being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as new figures show a dramatic rise over the past 20 years.

Between 1985 and 2004, the study conducted by Bristol University, has seen an increase in cases of type 1 diabetes in children under the age of 5 five times the previous average. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease in which the body fails to produce insulin or makes only a little. One of the theories leading to the rise in type 1 diabetes is due to infants being exposed to exorbitantly clean households. The researchers found that incidence in all children under 15 had doubled. But the incidence of type 1 diabetes in children under the age of five went from .2 cases per 1,000 to 1 case per thousand.

The hypothesis offered by Prof Bingley leads to a very good argument. He said, "the increase is too steep to be put down to genetic factors, so it must be due to changes in our environment. This could mean that we are being exposed to something new or that we have reduced exposure to something that was previously controlling our immune responses". Much like the denouement in a game of CLUE: perhaps it was Mr. Clean, with the mop, in the kitchen!

In the summer iof 2004, research funded by JDRF revealed that a mutation of the SUMO-4 gene is a strong factor in the development of type 1 diabetes and the potential associated complications, such as kidney failure.

The gene called SUMO-4 is responsible for signaling the proteins that regulate the intensity and duration of the immune response. When the gene is mutated, it has an increased response to the stimulants of the immune system, that cause it to overreact. This overreaction results in a person's inability to distinguish between self and foreign cells, thus causing type 1 diabetes. The mutated SUMO-4 gene may exacerbate the inflammatory process, influencing the complications of diabetes.

The most influential genes in the development of type 1 diabetes are found in the HLA or human leukocyte antigen region. These genes help regulate the immune system by guiding it to differentiate between self and non-self. Variants of the DR and DQ genes in the HLA region are found in 95% of type 1 diabetics. Another gene that increases the chances of developing type 1 diabetes has been found in the region immediately preceding the insulin gene. This region contains a VNTR or variable number of tandem repeats. This refers to specific chemical bases that make up DNA. Inheritance of certain VNTR's increases the risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

Again I reiterate this research was unveiled in 2004. SUMO-4 was identified as a prime target to control the inflammatory process leading to the destruction of islets. As I search Google for, "sumo4, drugs, JDRF" I am terribly disappointed to see that my yearning for answers remains unrequited. Did SUMO-4 fall too hard too fast?