Type 1 diabetes is partly inherited, and then triggered by certain infections. Type 2 diabetes is due primarily to lifestyle factors and genetics. Scientists have been trying to explain the multiple causes of diabetes for many years. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Novo Nordisk A/S have now shown that the increased activity of one particular iron-transport protein destroys insulin-producing beta cells. In addition, the new research shows that mice without this iron transporter are protected against developing diabetes. These results have just been published in the prestigious journal Cell Metabolism.