Low levels of BNP hormone linked to development of Type 2 diabetes

Using Mendelian randomization, Roman Pfister of the University of Cambridge, UK and colleagues demonstrate a potentially causal link between low levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), a hormone released by damaged heart tissue, and the development of type 2 diabetes. The findings, published in this week's PLoS Medicine, suggest that BNP may be a potential target for interventions designed to prevent type 2 diabetes, particularly since the feasibility of altering BNP levels with drugs has already been proposed. The results have yet to be confirmed in patients of non-European descent.

More information:
Pfister R, Sharp S, Luben R, Welsh P, Barroso I, et al. (2011) Mendelian Randomization Study of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and Type 2 Diabetes: Evidence of Causal Association from Prospective Case-Control Studies. PLoS Med 9(10): e1001112. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001112

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