Deficiency of an intestinal enzyme a leading cause of diabetes: Study

Deficiency of an intestinal enzyme, Alkaline Phosphatase, is one of the leading causes of developing diabetes, finds a study.

The study was published in the British Medical Journal recently and the findings were shared at a conference held at Birdem General Hospital this noon.

Diabetic Association of Bangladesh coordinated the study led by Dr Madhu S Malo, a former faculty at Harvard Medical School in USA, and an advisor to the Diabetic Association.

Bangladesh Medical and Research Council and the ministry of education funded the study.

A team of researchers from multiple local and foreign universities revealed the cause through a five-year investigation on 674 non-diabetic people, aged 30-60.

People with the Alkaline Phosphatese deficiency have 13.8 times higher risk of developing diabetes than those who do not, Madhu S Malo said.

The researchers have also developed a home-based mechanism to test the deficiency of the enzyme.

"We think this will be a breakthrough finding which can greatly contribute to the prevention of diabetes," Prof Dr AK Azad, president of the association said in the press conference.