It's in the blood vessels: that's how obesity leads to diabetes.

The majority of the approximately six million patients in Germany who suffer from type 2 diabetes are overweight. In these patients, the effect of insulin is reduced. The cause for this insulin resistance was for a long time primarily sought in metabolic organs. We have now been able to show that insulin effects on the inner layer of blood vessels (endothelium) are important for insulin resistance in adipose tissue and muscles. The key molecule here is the hormone adrenomedullin. The results of this study may be the basis for new therapeutic approaches to treat type 2 diabetes.