Although many treatments for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have been developed, the quality of life for people with T2DM still tends to be lower than in those without the disease. Thus, the development of new T2DM treatments and prevention methods is required. Genetic predisposition and environmental factors are understood to be involved in the onset and pathology of T2DM. Therefore, we have attempted to explore genes and foods with potential for use in the treatment and prevention of T2DM. LipoQuality, which describes the functional features of diverse lipid species, has recently been a focus of study in the pathology of metabolic diseases. Phospholipids, the major components of biological membranes, are known to change in composition during the development of obesity and diabetes. Therefore, for our research, we focused on genes that regulate the composition of phospholipids. We examined the effects of such genes on T2DM using an improved adenovirus vector that demonstrates safer, higher, and longer-term transgene expression than that of the conventional adenovirus vector. We also found that certain foods inhibit the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is related to T2DM. In this review, we introduce our research results, demonstrating how genes and food independently contribute to the mechanisms of T2DM pathology.
Keywords: adenovirus vector; cranberry; diabetes; lysophospholipid acyltransferase; oxidative stress.