DZD - German Center for Diabetes Research

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Diabetes Congress 2017: “Progress for Our Patients”

A DZD study on mice and humans shows that a single high-fat meal can have negative metabolic consequences and promote type 2 diabetes. In Germany around 6.7 million people are affected by diabetes; of these, 95 percent have type 2 diabetes, and the incidence is increasing. This is also apparent in the hospitals: half of all hospitalized patients have impaired glucose metabolism, due either to manifest diabetes or pre-diabetes. At the Diabetes Congress in Hamburg, the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) will present new findings on the development and early diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Among other presentations given at the Congress, two partner institutes of the DZD will show in a study conducted in parallel on mice and humans that a single high-fat meal can induce negative metabolic changes, in turn promoting the development of type 2 diabetes. Under the motto “Progress for Our Patients”, around 6000 physicians, scientists, and other diabetes medical professionals will convene on May 24-27, 2017 to participate in the leading congress for the metabolic disease diabetes in the German-speaking area.

The German Diabetes Center in Düsseldorf and Helmholtz Zentrum München, both partnersin the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), collaborated closely in the study: “The Düsseldorf researchers investigated the effect of a single high-fat meal in humans. At Helmholtz Zentrum München the investigations were conducted in parallel on the mouse model,” said Professor Martin Hrabĕ de Angelis, board member of the DZD and director of the Institute of Experimental Genetics at Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen.The human study participants – healthy, slim men – were given at random a flavored palm oil drink or a glass of clear water in a control experiment. The palm oil drink contained a similar amount of saturated fat as two cheeseburgers with bacon and a large portion of French fries or two salami pizzas. The mice also received palm oil. “The result was that in both the humans and the mice, this single high-fat meal sufficed to reduce the insulin action i.e. to induce insulin resistance and to increase the fat content of the liver,” said Professor Hrabĕ de Angelis. “Moreover, the energy balance of the liver changed. These metabolic changes were similar to changes observed in persons with type 2 diabetes or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).“ Furthermore, it was proven in the mouse model that one dosage of palm oil alters the expression of genes that regulate inflammatory and protective metabolic pathways.Professor Martin Hrabĕ de Angelis will present these and other new findings from the collaborative research at the DDG Congress press conference on Thursday, May 25, 2017.All information about the Diabetes Congress 2017 can be found on the internet atwww.diabeteskongress.de. Short videos and contributions to the Diabetes Congress 2017 can be found in the mediathek.

About the German Diabetes Association (DDG):
With almost 9000 members, the German Diabetes Association (DDG) is one of the leading medical and scientific associations in Germany. It supports science and research, is engaged in education and training, certifies treatment facilities and develops guidelines. Its objective is a more effective prevention and treatment of the widespread disease, which affects more than six million people in Germany. To this end, it is also engaged in numerous health policy activities.

 

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