Last week was an exciting one for diabetes news. In addition to our recent post about a new drug that can improve kidney function in Type 2 diabetics, there have been many other interesting discoveries.
Newcastle University researchers in England have found that a very extreme diet can reverse Type 2 diabetes in newly diagnosed patients. The diet reduced fat levels in the pancreas and liver, helping insulin production to return to normal. It isn’t known whether results will be permanent. – Type 2 Diabetes in Newly Diagnosed “Can Be Reversed”
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital have shown that a generic vaccine for tuberculosis that transiently reversed Type 1 diabetes in mice could work in humans as well. – Research Shows Promise in Reversing Type 1 Diabetes and Massachusetts General Hospital, Iacocca Foundation Announce Promising Results of Phase I Diabetes Trial
According to a new study, young adults with Type 1 diabetes have thicker, stiffer carotid arteries, a risk factor for heart disease. – Young People with Type 1 Diabetes at Risk for Heart Disease, Research Shows Another study found that Type 1 diabetic girls show signs of risk factors for heart disease at an early age. – Diabetic Girls May Have Heart Risk Factors
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have conducted two studies that may impact future treatment for diabetes. In the first study, the scientists discovered a signalling pathway that makes insulin-releasing beta cells more sensitive to high blood glucose levels. The second study found that blood levels of a lipoprotein rise prior to the onset of Type 1 diabetes. They theorize that inhibiting the lipoprotein known as ApoCIII could delay onset of the disease. – New Discoveries in Diabetes Suggest Novel Ways to Treat, Delay the Disease
Researchers from the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife have identified a gene linked to having low body fat as well as an increased risk for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. – Genetic Study Shows That Low Body Fat May Not Lower Risk for Heart Disease & Diabetes