DHAKA, Bangladesh

A team of Bangladeshi scientists on Wednesday claimed discovering a new cause for diabetes, calling it a breakthrough in the prevention and treatment of the disease.

The researchers said deficiency of the intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) enzyme is one of the leading causes of diabetes and people with IPA deficiency have a 13.8 times higher risk of developing the disease.

The findings surfaced following a five-year research conducted from 2015 to 2020, the researchers told a news conference in Dhaka.

Lead researcher Madhu S Malo, former assistant professor at Harvard University and an advisor at the Bangladesh Diabetic Association, said they observed 574 non-diabetic people aged between 30 and 60 years during the study.

The IPA level of a person can be tested within three to four minutes through stool tests.

People at risk of diabetes due to enzyme deficiency can now get protection with precautionary measures, he added, urging the authorities concerned to take necessary steps to develop kits to conduct the relevant medical diagnosis.

He said their study has shown that consuming yellow and red capsicum increases IPA enzymes in mice.

Researchers from local and foreign universities also took part in the study which was already published in The BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, a joint venture of the British Medical Journal and the American Diabetes Association.

The Bangladesh Medical and Research Council and Education Ministry funded the study.

Researchers from BIRDEM General Hospital in Dhaka, Diabetic Association of Bangladesh, Rajshahi University, Jahangirnagar University, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, and Harvard University were involved in the study.