Buildup of “Toxic Fat” Metabolite Could Explain Why Some Thin People Are Prone to Diabetes

For years, scientists have known that someone who is thin could still end up with diabetes. Yet an obese person may be surprisingly healthy. Scott Summers, Ph.D., chair of nutrition and integrative physiology, and Bhagirath Chaurasia, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Utah College of Health explain their new research that points to an answer to that riddle: Accumulation of a toxic class of fat metabolites, known as ceramides, may make people more prone to type 2 diabetes. Their work was recently published online in Cell Metabolism; learn more here.