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In a discovery that has stunned even those behind it, scientists at a Toronto hospital say they have proof the body's nervous system helps trigger diabetes, opening the door to a potential near-cure of the disease that affects millions of Canadians.
Diabetic mice became healthy virtually overnight after researchers injected a substance to counteract the effect of malfunctioning pain neurons in the pancreas.
"I couldn't believe it," said Dr. Michael Salter, a pain expert at the Hospital for Sick Children and one of the scientists. "Mice with diabetes suddenly didn't have diabetes any more."
The researchers caution they have yet to confirm their findings in people, but say they expect results from human studies within a year or so. Any treatment that may emerge to help at least some patients would likely be years away from hitting the market.
But the excitement of the team from Sick Kids, whose work is being published today in the journal Cell, is almost palpable.
"I've never seen anything like it," said Dr. Hans Michael Dosch, an immunologist at the hospital and a leader of the studies. "In my career, this is unique."
Their conclusions upset conventional wisdom that Type 1 diabetes, the most serious form of the illness that typically first appears in childhood, was solely caused by auto-immune responses -- the body's immune system turning on itself.
They also conclude that there are far more similarities than previously thought between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and that nerves likely play a role in other chronic inflammatory conditions, such as asthma and Crohn's disease.
The "paradigm-changing" study opens "a novel, exciting door to address one of the diseases with large societal impact," said Dr. Christian Stohler, a leading U.S. pain specialist and dean of dentistry at the University of Maryland, who has reviewed the work.
"The treatment and diagnosis of neuropathic diseases is poised to take a dramatic leap forward because of the impressive research."
About two million Canadians suffer from diabetes, 10% of them with Type 1, contributing to 41,000 deaths a year.
Insulin replacement therapy is the only treatment of Type 1, and cannot prevent many of the side effects, from heart attacks to kidney failure.
In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to shift glucose into the cells that need it. In Type 2 diabetes, the insulin that is produced is not used effectively -- something called insulin resistance -- also resulting in poor absorption of glucose.
The problems stem partly from inflammation -- and eventual death -- of insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas.
Dr. Dosch had concluded in a 1999 paper that there were surprising similarities between diabetes and multiple sclerosis, a central nervous system disease. His interest was also piqued by the presence around the insulin-producing islets of an "enormous" number of nerves, pain neurons primarily used to signal the brain that tissue has been damaged.
Suspecting a link between the nerves and diabetes, he and Dr. Salter used an old experimental trick -- injecting capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot chili peppers, to kill the pancreatic sensory nerves in mice that had an equivalent of Type 1 diabetes.
Thanks for posting this LCG. It is starting to hit other news outlets. I pray that studies eventually show that it is true for humans as well.
You're quite welcome Abbey. Like I said, I have a 5 year old nephew who is an insulin dependent diabetic. He was diagnosed at 18 months. I've been there with my sister for many nights when his sugar was so low, in the 20s, where we had to actually pour things down his throat when he was barely conscious, just to keep him from going into a diabetic coma.... ive seen him when his sugar was in the 300s when you would swear he was drunk. Diabetes, especially in young children, takes a hard toll on the body. Its even harder on children... it breaks my heart to hear him say "Mommy, why did God give me diabetes?".
I, like you, also pray that we get the same result with tests in humans.
Thinking outside the box!!!!Dr. Dosch had concluded in a 1999 paper that there were surprising similarities between diabetes and multiple sclerosis, a central nervous system disease. His interest was also piqued by the presence around the insulin-producing islets of an "enormous" number of nerves, pain neurons primarily used to signal the brain that tissue has been damaged.
Thinking outside the box!!!!
Researchers found that compared with a diet rich in whole grains, getting a daily dose of legumes led to small drops in an important measure of blood sugar as well as in blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
After three months on the bean diet, study participants estimated 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease had fallen from 10.7 percent to 9.6 percent, according to the group.
Legumes are good protein sources, and proteins tend to dampen the blood glucose response and they lower blood pressure, said David Jenkins of St. Michaels Hospital in Toronto, who led the study.
Beans show promise with diabetes: study<br /> ????????????? - Taipei Times
Marla Evans enjoys playing with her granddaughter. Eight years ago, Evans had Type 2 diabetes. That was before she underwent gastric bypass surgery. Since then, she has shed 36 kilograms. Evans participated in a study led by Dr. Philip Schauer at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, who wanted to see if the surgery could help patients with diabetes. "This disease over time can be very debilitating, causing blindness, kidney failure, amputations, heart attack and stroke if its not well treated," he said.
High blood sugar levels are the hallmark of diabetes. A few years ago, Schauer published the initial results of the study. He found that the stomach-shrinking surgery reversed Type 2 diabetes. The latest results are the same. "This is very important because it shows that the effect of surgery in lowering blood sugar is durable out to three years. It's not just a short-term effect," said Schauer. Bariatric surgery is an umbrella term for different surgeries that make the stomach smaller. In the most common procedure, the surgeon cuts across the top of the stomach to create a small pouch about the size of a walnut. Food bypasses most of the stomach and enters directly into the small intestine.
Afterward, patients have to change their lifestyles and stick with a diet that Evans said was sometimes difficult to adjust to, but worth the effort. I like the size I am. I like everything that came out of the surgery. Its a blessing that you dont have to take medicine, that you are healthier, that you feel good, that you look fantastic. The surgery is expensive, but as Schauer said, so is treating diabetes and all its complications. "So in that regard, I think that surgery will factor in as a viable and efficient and economically advantageous treatment," he said.
Schauer also found that patients who had the surgery had better blood pressure results, and they could reduce the amount of medicine they used to control it. In addition, they had better cholesterol levels and were generally healthier. Evans prepares her own food, and eats far less than before. When Evans thinks about her old lifestyle, she said she misses ice cream. But as for the rest? "No," she said with a laugh, "absolutely not. I have energy. I have a new life. I am not a diabetic any more." Schauer said that with the steep increases in obesity and diabetes around the world, bariatric surgery will become more common even outside of Western countries.
Study: Gastric Bypass Procedure Reverses Type 2 Diabetes
My 5 year old nephew is an insulin dependent diabetic... this is pretty substantial news for me. I hope it all pans out...
In a discovery that has stunned even those behind it, scientists at a Toronto hospital say they have proof the body's nervous system helps trigger diabetes, opening the door to a potential near-cure of the disease that affects millions of Canadians.
Diabetic mice became healthy virtually overnight after researchers injected a substance to counteract the effect of malfunctioning pain neurons in the pancreas.
"I couldn't believe it," said Dr. Michael Salter, a pain expert at the Hospital for Sick Children and one of the scientists. "Mice with diabetes suddenly didn't have diabetes any more."
The researchers caution they have yet to confirm their findings in people, but say they expect results from human studies within a year or so. Any treatment that may emerge to help at least some patients would likely be years away from hitting the market.
But the excitement of the team from Sick Kids, whose work is being published today in the journal Cell, is almost palpable.
"I've never seen anything like it," said Dr. Hans Michael Dosch, an immunologist at the hospital and a leader of the studies. "In my career, this is unique."
Their conclusions upset conventional wisdom that Type 1 diabetes, the most serious form of the illness that typically first appears in childhood, was solely caused by auto-immune responses -- the body's immune system turning on itself.
They also conclude that there are far more similarities than previously thought between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and that nerves likely play a role in other chronic inflammatory conditions, such as asthma and Crohn's disease.
The "paradigm-changing" study opens "a novel, exciting door to address one of the diseases with large societal impact," said Dr. Christian Stohler, a leading U.S. pain specialist and dean of dentistry at the University of Maryland, who has reviewed the work.
"The treatment and diagnosis of neuropathic diseases is poised to take a dramatic leap forward because of the impressive research."
About two million Canadians suffer from diabetes, 10% of them with Type 1, contributing to 41,000 deaths a year.
Insulin replacement therapy is the only treatment of Type 1, and cannot prevent many of the side effects, from heart attacks to kidney failure.
In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to shift glucose into the cells that need it. In Type 2 diabetes, the insulin that is produced is not used effectively -- something called insulin resistance -- also resulting in poor absorption of glucose.
The problems stem partly from inflammation -- and eventual death -- of insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas.
Dr. Dosch had concluded in a 1999 paper that there were surprising similarities between diabetes and multiple sclerosis, a central nervous system disease. His interest was also piqued by the presence around the insulin-producing islets of an "enormous" number of nerves, pain neurons primarily used to signal the brain that tissue has been damaged.
Suspecting a link between the nerves and diabetes, he and Dr. Salter used an old experimental trick -- injecting capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot chili peppers, to kill the pancreatic sensory nerves in mice that had an equivalent of Type 1 diabetes.
Diabetes breakthrough
Hello Friends...........
Diabetes cannot be cured completely, but can be effectively controlled. People with diabetes can lead a healthy life if, their blood glucose level is under control. The decrease in life span of a diabetic is restored to normal by maintaining good blood glucose control (90-130 mg/dl at fasting and with less than 180 mg/dl 2hrs after meals).
Thanks
At more than 8,800 meters above sea level, Mount Everest in Nepal is the worlds highest peak. Climbers require supplemental oxygen because the air is so thin. Hypoxia, or lack of blood oxygen, is a risk factor for the onset of Type 2 diabetes. So, researchers with the Mount Everest project sought to identify the mechanisms by which low oxygen levels contribute to disease in patients who are critically ill with diabetes. Mike Grocott, a professor of anesthesia and critical care medicine at Southampton University, led the study, which began at an Everest base camp 5,300 meters above sea level.
The expedition included about 200 climbers. But Grocott says researchers focused on 24 individuals who underwent assessments of glucose control, body weight changes and inflammation biomarkers. The measurements were taken at six weeks and again at two months. Eight climbers then continued their trek to the peak. In the low oxygen environment, Grocott says the participants' insulin levels began to rise, indicating their bodies were becoming insulin resistant. There also was an increase in biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress, or cellular damage, similar to whats seen in people with Type 2 diabetes.
A team of mountaineers is seen climbing Mount Everest.
On the ground, Grocott says the findings suggest treatments might be developed to prevent the disease. Helping to control the tendency towards diabetes may be interventions that are focusing on either the development of this oxidative stress or this inflammation, says Grocott. In an article published in the journal PLoS ONE, investigators report the abnormal biomarkers, caused by the extreme altitude, were reversed once the participants came off the mountain.
Many people who develop diabetes suffer from sleep apnea, in which their airways become obstructed - sometimes hundreds of times per night. That is likely to predispose them to certainly intermittent hypoxia during sleep. And that may be something that is contributing toward this tendency to develop Type 2 diabetes, says Grocott. Grocott says investigators are now comparing the climbers, most of whom were Caucasian, to the Sherpa to see whether genetic differences protect the indigenous Nepalese population from diabetes.
Mount Everest Climb Exposes Diabetes Mechanism - Study
