Pancreas weight loss ‘reverses type 2’

Losing just one gram of fat from the pancreas could help reverse the effects of type 2 diabetes, according to new research.

The study, led by Professor Roy Taylor of Newcastle University, discovered that when excess fat is removed from the pancreas, insulin secretion increases to normal levels.

Professor Taylor, who also works within the Newcastle Hospitals as part of the Newcastle Academic Health Partners, said: “For people with type 2 diabetes, losing weight allows them to drain excess fat out of the pancreas and allows function to return to normal.

This new research demonstrates that the change in level of fat in the pancreas is related to the presence of type 2 diabetes in a patient

“So if you ask how much weight you need to lose to make your diabetes go away, the answer is one gram!

“But that gram needs to be fat from the pancreas. At present the only way we have to achieve this is by calorie restriction by any means – whether by diet or an operation.

Normal levels

“This new research demonstrates that the change in level of fat in the pancreas is related to the presence of type 2 diabetes in a patient.  The decrease in pancreas fat is not simply related to the weight loss itself. It is not something that might happen to anyone whether or not they had diabetes. It is specific to type 2 diabetes.

A total of 27 people, who were due to have gastric bypass surgery for obesity, took part in the trial.

Within that group, 18 people had type 2 diabetes and nine people did not.

Their weight, fat levels in the pancreas and insulin response were all measured before and after the surgery.

The results meant that those who had type 2 diabetes were immediately taken off their medication post operation.

Both groups lost 13 per cent of their initial body weight, but the pool of fat in the pancreas did not change in the people who did not have diabetes to start with.

The pancreas fat levels decreased to a normal level in those participants who did have type 2 diabetes when the study began.

This shows that the excess fat in the diabetic pancreas is specific to type 2 diabetes and important in preventing insulin being made as normal.

The Newcastle Academic Health Partners is a collaboration involving Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.