A group of scientists from different countries has made an exciting discovery that could lead to new ways to treat or prevent type 2 diabetes.
The team found that a small compound made by gut bacteria, called trimethylamine (TMA), may help protect the body from insulin resistance, a key problem in type 2 diabetes.
The study was published in the journal Nature Metabolism and was led by researchers from Imperial College London, University of Louvain in Belgium, the University of Ottawa, and other institutions.
They found that TMA, which is produced by bacteria in the gut from a nutrient called choline found in some foods, can block a part of the immune system that causes inflammation and blood sugar problems.
The discovery actually began 20 years ago when Professor Patrice Cani was doing early research. Back then, he found that eating a high-fat diet caused bacteria from the gut to leak into the body and activate the immune system.
This triggered inflammation and, over time, made people resistant to insulin. His findings weren’t widely believed at the time, but today they are well accepted by scientists.
Fast forward to 2025, and researchers have now figured out a way to counteract that problem. They discovered that TMA, the molecule produced by gut bacteria from choline, can help the body deal with insulin resistance. The molecule works by blocking a protein called IRAK4.
This protein is part of the immune system and usually acts like an alarm. When someone eats too much fat, IRAK4 activates and starts a wave of inflammation. This inflammation can make the body stop responding properly to insulin, leading to type 2 diabetes.
However, when TMA is present, it sticks to IRAK4 and blocks its action. This helps calm the inflammation and allows the body to respond to insulin again. The team showed this effect in studies using human cells and mice.
In mice, TMA even protected them from death caused by sepsis, which is a dangerous overreaction of the immune system. This shows that TMA may have wide-ranging benefits for inflammation-related diseases.
Professor Cani explained that this is a powerful example of how our diet and gut microbes can work together to help our health. What we eat shapes the bacteria in our gut, and those bacteria can produce helpful compounds like TMA.
The team also tried removing the IRAK4 protein or blocking it with drugs. Both methods had the same benefits as using TMA. This suggests that IRAK4 could be a good target for future diabetes drugs.
In fact, drugs that target IRAK4 are already being studied in the pharmaceutical industry, so this discovery might help speed up the development of new treatments.
Professor Marc-Emmanuel Dumas from Imperial College said this changes the way we think about gut microbes. Instead of always being harmful, some of their products—like TMA—might actually protect us from diseases caused by poor diets.
This study is especially important because more than 500 million people around the world are living with diabetes.
If we can use gut bacteria or their by-products to reduce inflammation and improve how the body handles insulin, it could lead to safer and more effective treatments. Scientists are now looking into ways to increase TMA levels safely through food or medicine.
In conclusion, this research shows that a tiny molecule made by gut bacteria might hold the key to stopping one of the biggest health problems in the world. It offers a new way to think about diabetes treatment—not just managing blood sugar, but fixing the immune system’s response to diet. More studies will be needed, but the future looks hopeful.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about diabetes and vitamin B12, and the right diet for people with type 2 diabetes.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to eat smart with diabetes, and turmeric and vitamin D: a duo for blood pressure control in diabetic patients.
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