Getting away from glucose: stop sugarcoating diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is often viewed as a disorder of glucose metabolism. But many factors come into play in this condition, with obesity a prime risk factor and cardiovascular disease a major result. In Bedside to Bench, Babak Razani and Clay Semenkovich examine the linkages between diabetes and cardiovascular disease. They call for new research approaches in the wake of clinical trials showing that lowering glucose levels does not decrease cardiovascular events in people with type 2 diabetes. In Bench to Bedside, Steven Shoelson and Allison Goldfine examine how type 2 diabetes and other disorders can stem from obesity—and its effect on inflammation. These authors take a look at two recent studies showing how obesity perturbs inflammatory gene networks.