Researchers from Lund University (Sweden) have found that it is possible to predict the development of type II diabetes by the level of the protein follistatin in the blood, and 19 years before the disease. The scientific article was published in the journal Nature Communications.
Follistatin is a protein that is secreted by the liver and is involved in the regulation of metabolism. The new study examined what happens to the body when follistatin levels in the blood become too high.
For example, experts found that higher levels of this protein promotes the breakdown of fat from adipose tissue, which leads to a greater accumulation of lipids in the liver. This, in turn, increases the risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type II diabetes.
To find out what regulates blood levels of follistatin, researchers analyzed the genomic data of 5124 volunteers, residents of Sweden. It turned out that protein levels are regulated by the glucokinase protein, which affects several metabolic features.
"This study shows that follistatin can be an important biomarker for predicting the development of type II diabetes and also brings us one step closer to understanding the mechanisms underlying the disease," said Jan De Marinis, associate professor at Lund University and lead author of the study.
Next, the scientists intend to develop a simple artificial intelligence-based tool to analyze follistatin levels in the blood. This will allow the average person to estimate their likelihood of developing type II diabetes.
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