Understanding more about the role of the gut in diabetes treatments

The human tongue is not the only place where sweetness is detected – the gut also can sense sweetness.

The gut’s sweet tooth

People with type-2 diabetes have a different way of controlling the system for detecting sweetness in the gut, which could be why they take up sugar more rapidly into their bloodstream.

Importance of a sensing pathway

Dr Young and his colleagues are seeking to determine if they can block the way sweetness is detected in the gut, and then, whether they are able to change the way it's detected, particularly with regards to the speed that sugars enter from food into the blood.

Acknowledgments

Dr Young is affiliated with The University of Adelaide.