Yesterday I posted on the latest indicator that high fructose corn syrup is harmful and maybe even linked to diabetes risk. Naturally, the American Beverage Association vigorously rejects the report.

In the interest of balance, here's the opposing argument courtesy of the ABA's website. "There is absolutely no unique link between soft drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and diabetes, in children or adults. In fact, it is a stretch of the imagination to link the laboratory findings of this unpublished in vitro study with the occurrence of diabetes in humans." Ooh, "unpublished." Ouch. Nice veiled barb, there.

The statement goes on in some detail, basically saying if the harmful reactive carbonyls occur naturally in a number of foods, why single out HFCS?

Well, you can't blame them for defending themselves. But I laughed at the following: "Singling out any one food, beverage or ingredient as a unique cause or contributor to diabetes is simply not supported by science." I dunno. A study led by a professor of food science at Rutgers. Sure sounds like science to me...

What makes for a long and healthy life? Why, you say, how about a healthy diet and liberal quantities of exercise? True! A healthy lifestyle keeps you in shape and is one factor that promotes longevity. But have you ever wondered exactly how this works on a physiological level? How does the brain understand you skipped the gym all summer and had French fries for lunch yesterday?

The answer, according to the results of a new study published in Science (July 2007), could relate to insulin levels in the brain. Researchers induced lab mice to overeat until they became obese and some exhibited symptoms of diabetes. Yet some of those same mice actually lived eighteen percent longer than their slender mice buddies. The researchers attributed that longevity to a gene that affects insulin. Put simply: the longevity gene (called Irs2) effectively "tricked" the brains of those mice into thinking they were slim and fit, when in fact the opposite was true.

For diabetics, the study raises an additional question: if raising insulin levels decreases the body's sensitivity to it, is it really desirable to treat type 2 diabetics with insulin over the long-term? Lead author of the study, Morris White of Children's Hospital in Boston, says it's highly preferable (when possible) to get type 2 diabetes under control through old-fashioned diet and exercise, rather than through insulin or other meds.

A study suggests problems with cholesterol regulation in the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas may be responsible for the development of Type 2 diabetes.

A thesis paper written by a graduate student, Dr. Liam Brunham, addressed the fact that a dysfunction in cholesterol regulation is found in beta cells in the pancreas. A thought-provoking connection to this thesis was the fact that beta cells are the cells responsible for producing insulin. A beta cell expert decided to see what would happen if researchers genetically engineered mice without the ABCA1 gene. The ABCA1 gene is the gene responsible for cholesterol regulation in beta cells. Dr. Brunham appears to be the first to identify the role of cholesterol dysfunction resulting in the beta cells inability to properly secrete insulin.

This new research is promising and obviously raises questions in other researcher's minds. One is - what happens when amylin, a hormone produced by the beta cells, builds up to excess amounts? Does this, in fact, impair the beta cells' ability to function properly? Could this be another thesis that trumps Dr. Brunham's hunch for the cause of type 2 diabetes? Some researchers believe that the over-production of amylin and cholesterol may be due to a yet unidentified problem. Of course that is always an option. Science labs across the world could come to a screeching halt if doctor's stopped hypothesizing. As research continues, we will anxiously await the next best thesis paper, courtesy of our promising Graduate Students. Be cool - stay in school!

Elixir Pharmaceuticals is a company focused on age-related diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Elixir released new data on research that ultimately could lead to a treatment for type 2 diabetes.

The research explains the role of ghrelin, a hormone secreted by the stomach. Ghrelin controls appetite by increasing levels before meals and decreasing levels after meals. A lack of sleep produces ghrelin, which stimulates appetite and creates less leptin which, amongst its many other effects, suppresses appetite. Research scientists have developed an anti-obesity vaccine, which is directed against the hormone ghrelin. The vaccine uses the immune system antibodies to prevent ghrelin from reaching the central nervous system, thus producing a desired reduction in weight gain.

The research conducted by Elixir, as well as the obesity vaccination, shows compelling evidence that ghrelin plays a pivotal role in metabolic regulation. Scientists have shown pharmacologic inhibition of the ghrelin receptor results in a reduction in fasting glucose levels, reduction in insulin resistance, and weight loss. This could lead to victorious battle for science in the war on obesity.

More from the world of lab coats and Bunsen burners: a new Harvard University study (published in Science) suggests that Type 2 diabetics who are overweight could benefit from taking a couple of different drugs. The interesting thing is, these drugs were actually designed to treat other troubles - liver disease and a blood disorder. The former, ursodiol (usually used for liver and gallbladder issues), and the latter, Buphenyl (used to treat a serious yet rare blood disorder), were tested on obese, insulin-resistant mice. The result? The drugs had a normalizing effect on the mice's blood sugar levels.

Next step, of course, is to test this treatment out on humans and see if it has the same result. Shouldn't be too hard finding subjects, what with around twenty million Americans having Type 2 diabetes. Apparently, around ninety percent of that number are overweight or obese. Maybe this is a dumb question, but shouldn't we put at least as much effort into getting Type 2 diabetics to adopt healthier lifestyles and, er, drop some of that weight? In the meantime, I'm sure the manufacturers of these particular drugs are jumping for joy at this news...