Mouse Study Offers Clues to Obesity-Diabetes Link THURSDAY, Dec.
6 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity and type 2 diabetes are clearly
intertwined, but researchers say they've found a way to weaken
the connection between the two -- at least in mice. The key,
they say, is blocking the body's inflammation response to high-
fat foods. In this study, published online Dec. 6 in the journal
Science, the researchers turned off the JNK (pronounced "junk")
genetic pathway in mice, and fed the rodents high-fat diets.
Even though the mice became obese, they didn't develop insulin
resistance, a forerunner to diabetes. Other similarly stuffed
mice with intact JNK pathways, however, became insulin
resistant. Although the results look promising, it's too early
to say whether the findings might apply to humans. "Everybody
has these genes, and they're present within all cells of your
body all the time," said study author Roger Davis. "What they do
is respond to the diet that you're eating. So if you eat a high-
fat, cafeteria diet, it