Guenther H. Boden, 80, physician

Guenther H. Boden, 80, of Gladwyne, a renowned physician, professor, and researcher in the field of endocrinology, died Tuesday, Oct. 13, of pancreatic cancer.

He died at the Visiting Nurse Association Hospice of Philadelphia after a brief stay.

Dr. Boden was the Laura H. Carnell Professor of Medicine at Temple University Hospital. During 45 years there, he served as chief of endocrinology and metabolism, and program director of the general clinical research center.

Dr. Boden earned a medical degree from the University of Munich Medical School in 1959. He continued post-graduate training as a fellow in biochemistry at Tuebingen University in Germany, followed by a fellowship at the E.P. Joslin Research Laboratory at Harvard Medical School.

He completed his training in Rochester, N.Y.

Kevin Jon Williams, professor of medicine and chief of the endocrinology section, said Dr. Boden joined the faculty at Temple in 1970 and remained active until a few days before his death.

A vital and dynamic presence, Dr. Boden combined his three professional passions - clinical care of diabetic patients, research into the causes of diabetes, and teaching generations of physicians and scientists.

The focus of Dr. Boden's research was why overeating and obesity cause insulin to lose its ability to control the amount of glucose in the bloodstream, Williams said.

Dr. Boden was the first to demonstrate that raising the blood concentration of a class of molecules called fatty acids interfered with insulin action to lower the blood sugar. Left unchecked, high blood sugar can cause diabetes, organ damage, and other complications.

A month before his death, Dr. Boden published new findings indicating how healthy volunteers who overate for just a few days showed signs of impaired insulin action.

In an account of the study published in New Scientist magazine, Dr. Boden and his Temple team described how they fed six healthy male volunteers 21/2 times what they should have been eating - pizza, hamburgers, and other rich foods - while keeping them confined to a hospital bed for a week.

"They took to the diet and liked it," Dr. Boden told the magazine. But the supersized fare caused the men to gain weight and develop insulin resistance in two days.

By running tests on body fluids, the researchers found that an altered glucose-transporting protein and oxidative stress could be causing the problem and might be targets for future treatment and study.

"It is conceptually possible that adding antioxidants to a big meal could limit [the] effects on health," Dr. Boden told the New Scientist.

Such studies helped shape the field of endocrinology and evolve the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, making Dr. Boden among the most seminal and prolific researchers in the field of clinical endocrinology.

The endocrine system consists of organs such as the pancreas, which release hormones that regulate many of the body's functions. Clinical endocrinology is the field of patient care relating to that system.

With support from the National Institutes of Health for more than 40 successive years, Dr. Boden authored 250 publications. In many, he was the lead scientist.

Dr. Boden received numerous awards for his work, including the Outstanding Clinical Endocrinologist Award from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Temple's Sol Sherry Award and recently, Temple's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Colleagues remembered Dr. Boden for his "deep insights, sharp wit, decency, and generosity."

"He was known for giving his time and talent to assist patients, other physicians, scientists, and particularly students and junior faculty. His passion for medicine as a calling was beloved by all who worked alongside him," Williams said.

He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Irene U. Boden; daughters Karin Etkin and Stephanie Wenstrup; sons Eric and Dirk; seven grandchildren; and two sisters.

A celebration of life is scheduled for noon Sunday, Nov. 1, at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 19 S. 22d St. Burial will be private.

Contributions may be made to the Guenther H. Boden M.D. Lectureship Fund, via www.giving.temple.edu/Boden.

bcook@phillynews.com 610-313-8102