Decreased intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) in the human body greatly increases the risk of developing diabetes. In simple words, a healthy person suffers from diabetes due to a deficiency of the important digestive juice or enzyme IAP in the upper part of the esophagus. It is said that this is one of the causes of diabetes. In the meantime, the British Medical Journal has published a research report explaining this reason.
Former Harvard University scientist Professor Dr. Madhu S. Malo led the study. He was accompanied by the country’s renowned endocrinology professor Dr. Abul Kalam Azad, Professor Dr. Farooq Pathan and Professor Dr. Salekul Islam. The team was also assisted by Jagannath Malo of BADAS, Mehedi Hasan Rocky, Jinok Barman, Shamima Akhter Tinni, Swapan K. Burman, Tapas Sarkar, Abdul Mottalib and Naimul Islam Khan of BIRDEM, Jahangir Alam of Rajshahi University and Konkaraju Kaliannan of Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University.
A team of researchers from local and foreign universities conducted a five-year study on 674 non-diabetic persons. Those who have been studied were between the ages of 30 and 60. The findings were conveyed at a press conference on Wednesday (March 23rd) at BIRDEM Hospital in the capital on the topic of ‘Discovering the causes of diabetes’ organized by the Bangladesh Diabetic Association.
The study was funded by the Bangladesh Medical and Research Council and the Ministry of Education.
The press conference conveyed, ‘We did not know the answers to the questions well like, are you going to have diabetes in the future; Or what kind of test can tell you that you are going to be affected by diabetes, and so on. We have done the research work with these questions in mind. First we did a study on rats. It has been found that rats which have less digestive juice called IAP in their stomach are more prone to developing diabetes.’
Professor Madhu S. Malo, head of the research team, said: ‘This toxin (Endotoxin) is usually excreted in the stool. However, high-fat foods, fructose or alcohol help the toxins enter the bloodstream. This causes low grade systemic inflammation. This can lead to diabetes. People who are deficient in alkaline phosphatase have a 13.8 times higher risk of developing diabetes.
Bangladesh Diabetic Association President Prof. AK Azad said, ‘We think this is a groundbreaking discovery. It can contribute a lot to the prevention of diabetes.’
The Bangladeshi scientist said, ‘We have developed a kit that will help you understand your chances of getting diabetes in three to five minutes. When the amount of IAP enzyme in the body is less than 115 units, it leads to diabetes. Since it is understood, if it is caught in the test at that time, it will be easier to control it through treatment.’
Dr. Madhu S. Malo added, ‘We will do more research on this kit too. We will discuss about the Kit with the concerned authorities of the government. If it succeeds, it will bring a lot of good for the country and the people.’