Duke Medicine: What's so bad about eating too much?

Type 2 diabetes is known to be associated with obesity, but it’s not clear exactly why. Some explain it this way: obesity itself may not cause diabetes, but the behaviors that lead to weight gain -- taking in too many calories and burning too few -- probably do.

A few years ago, research from Duke’s Richard Surwit, PhD, Mark Feinglos, MD, and colleagues showed that in a particular strain of mouse which is genetically predisposed to diabetes and obesity, those who ate a high-fat diet went on to develop diabetes, while those fed a lower-fat diet did not -- even when eating the same number of calories.

Now basic research from Duke’s Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition & Metabolism Center is beginning to suggest why.