A biochemical connection between type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was revealed from the results of a study conducted at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, and reported in the "Journal Diabetes."

NAFLD is an independent predictor of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus, according to Prosenjit Mondal, an associate professor at IIT-Mandi (T2DM). 

Researchers observed significantly high levels of S100A6, a calcium-binding protein that the fatty liver releases in the blood samples taken from obese mice and people with NAFLD were examined in the study. This protein acts as a conduit for information between the liver and the pancreas. S100A6 negatively impacts the beta cells capacity to secrete insulin, causing or aggravating pre-existing T2DM. S100A6 also blocked insulin release biochemically by triggering the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End (RAGE) component on pancreatic beta cells.

In another observation made by Surbhi Dogra, a research scholar at IIT-Mandi, the decrease of S100A6 increases insulin secretion and could control the blood glucose in mice, suggesting that S100A6 contributes to the pathogenesis of diabetes in NAFLD. As a result, elevated blood levels of S100A6 may be used as a biomarker to detect T2DM risks in NAFLD patients, and reducing the amount of circulating S100A6 in the body may help to maintain beta-cell activity.Thus, the findings could serve as new therapeutic pathways to control or even reverse fatty liver-induced diabetes. (Tribune India Sep 06, 2022)