In
the search for a cure for diabetes, a recent development has
stunned even the experts involved. Scientists at a Toronto
medical center claim that they have proof the the nerve system
is reponsible for triggering diabetes, a fact which may well
lead to the possiblity of a cure for the diabetes, an illness
which causes problems for many millions in the affluent world.
Mice that had been given diabetes became healthy
within 24 hours after medical experts introduced a compound
to circumvent the effect of reduced neurons in the pancreas.
"I couldn't believe it," reported
Dr. Michael Salter, an expert in pain at the Hospital for
Sick Children and one of the researchers involved in the discovery.
"Mice with diabetes suddenly didn't have diabetes any
more." In essence, it appeared that this was a cure for
their diabetes.
The specialists urge caution, warning that
they still have to prove their study in humans, but say they
expect results from human studies within a year or two. Any
possible cure for diabetes that may develop is most likely
to be years away from hitting the general public..
Having said that, the team from Sick Children,
who published their research today in the well known journal
'Cell', are still immensely excited, and hope that this is
a major step towards the cure for diabetes that the medical
world has been seeking..
"I've never seen anything like it,"
stated Dr. Hans Michael Dosch, an expert in immunology the
hospital and a leader of the studies.
Their research may overthrow the current view
that Type 1 diabetes, the most serious form of the disorder
that often occurs when the sufferer is still a child, was
wholly brought on by auto-immune reactions, in other words,
the patient's immune system working against itself.
Their study also suggests that there is far
more in common than previously thought between Type 1 and
Type 2 diabetes, and that our nerves likely play a role in
other irreversible inflammatory sicknesses, such as asthma
and Crohn's disease.
This impressive study opens "a novel,
exciting door to address one of the diseases with large societal
impact," said Doctor Christian Stohler, chair of the
University of Maryland Department of Biologic and Materials
Sciences and a well respected pain specialist, who has reviewed
the 'cure for diabetes' claims.
Many millions have diabetes mellitus, with
10% having Type-one and 90% Type-two. The condition is the
6th most significant cause of death reported on U.S. death
certificates, and many experts believe that it is even higher
due to 'under reporting'.
Diabetes is a disease in which the sufferers
body doesn't create or make correct use of insulin. Insulin
is a hormone that is essential to transform glucose into energy
needed for life. The causes of diabetes mellitus continues
to be unknown, although both genetics and lifestyle factors
such as obesity and absence of physical exercise are believed
to play a role. At the present time, there is no known cure
for diabetes.
The symptoms of diabetes are:
* The initial symptom of diabetes mellitus
might be unusual thirst (unrelated to physical exercise, warm
weather, or temporary ill health)
* Excessive hunger; (you are sure that you have consumed enough,
however you still want more)
* Frequent urination, (commonly noticed because you have to
wake repeatedly during the night)
* Feeling tired and feeling fatigued (often sudden enough
to make you fall asleep unexpectedly after eating). This is
one of the most frequently observed symptoms of diabetes).
* Sudden and unusual weight loss (any dramatic change in body
weight is a message that you should visit your doctor)
Insulin injection is the only method of treating
Type one diabetes, and even this doesn't prevent many of the
negative consequences, from heart attacks to kidney failure.
It is not a cure for diabetes, merely a way of reducing some
of the consequences and aiding longevity of the patient.
In the new research the team injected capsaicin,
(the main active compound in chili peppers), into the pancreas
in order to kill the pancreatic sensory nerves in lab mice
that had Type one diabetes mellitus. The astonishing outcome
was that the islets immediately began producing insulin at
normal levels - in other words, it looked awfully like it
was a cure for diabetes !
It turns out the nerves secrete neuropeptides
that are a key factor in the correct functioning of the islets.
Later research by the medical researchers, which involved
the University of Calgary and the Jackson Laboratory in Maine,
proved that the nerves in mice that had been given diabetes
were secreting too few of the neuropeptides, causing a cycle
of stress on the islets.
The researchers then injected a neuropeptide
referred to as "substance p" in to the pancreas
cells of diabetic rodents. the result was that the inflamation
disappeared and the diabetes appeared to be cured. Some mice
have remained in that state for 4 months or more, after only
one dose.
The experts also found that this procedure
reduced the insulin resistance that is the main distinguishing
feature of Type-2 diabetes. This also seems to imply that
insulin resistance is also a component part in Type-1 diabetes,
which further suggests that the two types of diabetes are
far more similar than previously thought.
The medical researchers are now trying to
confirm that the connection between our nerves and diabetes
holds true for people. If it does, they will see if their
procedure has identically the same effect on humans as it
did on laboratory mice.
Again, caution is urged - it is very early
days and even if the research holds true any cure for diabetes
will be years away. The best advice for all diabetics is to
carry on with you diabetic care regimes exactly as normal.
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