New study suggests inflammation may not be cause of obesity-type 2 diabetes link

For years, it has been assumed that obesity led to type 2 diabetes by causing inflammation, which was thought to change the way the body reacts to the effects of insulin. However, a new study suggests that this hypothesis may need an update.

Researchers from Children’s Hospital Boston reported in the journal Nature Medicine that inflammation actually activates two different proteins that play key roles in stablizing blood sugar levels. Without the presence of inflammation, these proteins remain dormant.

The findings suggest an important new role for inflammation in the body. Rather than being the cause of health problems like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers, it may actually be a helpful reaction to other conditions in the body that are the real cause of disease...