Tag : BDO

Washington: A recent study has suggested that gut microbes can regulate the exocrine and endocrine functions of the pancreas and hormone production of the gastrointestinal tract. A team of researchers from Boston College, Joslin Diabetes Center, and Maastricht University, Netherlands, have reported these findings in the journal 'Diabetes'. The team's findings open a new avenue to better understand the interplay between gut microbes and the pancreas, said Boston College Assistant Professor of Biology Emrah Altindis, a co-author of the report. In the long term, these findings have the potential to help develop novel gut microbiota-based therapies to normalize pancreas function in obese diabetes patients. "Our results are quite novel and very exciting," said Altindis. "To our knowledge, this is the first study showing that gut microbes play this important role in regulating pancreas function, size and secretion of gut hormones in mice." The team also confirmed the results of their findings in humans by adopting the approach to treat a group of obese men. More than 37 million Americans have diabetes and more than 40 per cent of the U.S. population is classified as obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Previous studies have shown that the composition of the gut microbiota alters with these diseases, however, the role of these altered gut microbiota on the host functions - ranging from hormone secretion to metabolic functions - remains unclear. The team investigated the role of gut microbes on pancreas function using mouse models of obesity and diabetes, said Altindis. The pancreas was the central focus because the organ secretes hormones that regulate host metabolism as well as enzymes for digestion. ...