Gene mutation points to new way to fight diabetes, obesity, heart disease

Researchers say they have discovered a gene mutation that slows the metabolism of sugar in the gut, giving people who have the mutation a distinct advantage over those who do not. Those with the mutation have a lower risk of diabetes, obesity, heart failure, and even death.

DNA. Image credit: Zephyris/Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The researchers say their finding could provide the basis for drug therapies that could mimic the workings of this gene mutation, offering a potential benefit for the millions of people who suffer with diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

People who have the natural gene mutation appear to have an advantage when it comes to diet. Those who eat a high-carbohydrate diet and have this mutation will absorb less glucose than those without the mutation.

A high-carbohydrate diet includes such foods as pasta, breads, cookies, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

In the study, the researchers analyzed the relationship between SGLT-1 mutations and cardiometabolic disease using genetic data obtained from 8,478 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (ARIC) study.

The researchers found that about 6 percent of the subjects carried a mutation in SGLT-1 that causes limited impairment of glucose absorption.

Individuals with this mutation had a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes, were less obese, had a lower incidence of heart failure, and had a lower mortality rate when compared to those without the mutation, even after adjusting for dietary intake (including total calories, sodium, and sugars).

Based on these findings, the scientists suggest that selectively blocking the SGLT-1 receptor could provide a way to slow down glucose uptake to prevent or treat cardiometabolic disease and its consequences. (National Institutes of Health)

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