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Diabetes

Metabolic links among milk, genes and gut

Nature Metabolism volume 6, pages 12–13 (2024)Cite this article

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Genotype at the LCT locus determines lactase expression and very notably varies across populations. Milk intake variably influences the aetiology of the risk of type 2 diabetes depending on ancestry. In this issue of Nature Metabolism, Luo et al. describe how increased milk intake modifies both gut bacterial abundances and circulating metabolites in favour of decreasing the risk of type 2 diabetes in individuals who are lactase-deficient.

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Fig. 1: Overview of study design of Luo et al.

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Acknowledgements

S.H.L is supported by the NICHD (F31 HD105404). S.F.A.G. is supported by the NICHD (R01 HD056465), the NIDDK (UM1 DK126194), and the Daniel B. Burke Endowed Chair for Diabetes Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Sheridan H. Littleton & Struan F. A. Grant

  2. Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Sheridan H. Littleton

  3. Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Sheridan H. Littleton & Struan F. A. Grant

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Struan F. A. Grant

  5. Division of Human Genetics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Struan F. A. Grant

  6. Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Struan F. A. Grant

Authors
  1. Sheridan H. Littleton
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  2. Struan F. A. Grant
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Correspondence to Struan F. A. Grant.

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Littleton, S.H., Grant, S.F.A. Metabolic links among milk, genes and gut. Nat Metab 6, 12–13 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-023-00958-w

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