The role of amino acids in diabetes

Amino acids are important nutrients that regulate metabolism.

Protein forms a significant part of our nutrition. It is broken down into amino acids and subsequently absorbed in the intestine. We investigate how changes of amino acid nutrition affect carbohydrate metabolism and insulin signaling. We are employing a transgenic mouse strain that has reduced uptake of neutral amino acids in the intestine. The mice have improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, showing that amino acids have a significant influence on insulin signaling. We are trying to elucidate the link between amino acid and insulin signaling and want to generate novel compounds that could be used to treat type 2 diabetes.