Diabetes news, discovery and discussion thread

[weatheriscool]

GDF15 hormone found to make insulin work better
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-08- ... sulin.html
by University of Copenhagen

More than 500 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes. Roughly 2.6 billion are overweight. Something that both groups have in common is that the hormone insulin does not work nearly as well for them as it does for people who are healthy and in a normal weight range. Researchers have been eager to better understand the processes that affect insulin function in our bodies in order to develop new medications and treatments.

In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen's Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports (NEXS) studied how GDF15 (growth differentiation factor 15) affects insulin sensitivity in rodents.

The researchers were the first to discover that GDF15 actually improves sensitivity in mice and rats, making them better suited to regulate their blood sugar and absorb energy in their muscles. The result, published in journal Cell Metabolism, increases our general understanding of GDF15.

[weatheriscool]

After treatment with semaglutide, newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes patients found to need little or no insulin

by University at Buffalo
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-09- ... ients.html

Treating newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes patients with semaglutide (trade names Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus) may drastically reduce or even eliminate their need for injected insulin.

Those are the remarkable findings of a small University at Buffalo study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine and published online on Sept. 6.

"Our findings from this admittedly small study are, nevertheless, so promising for newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes patients that we are now absolutely focused on pursuing a larger study for a longer period of time," says Paresh Dandona, MD, Ph.D., SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Medicine, former chief of the Division of Endocrinology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB and senior author on the paper.

[40lightyears]

Type 1 diabetic chiming in here.

Managing diabetes is a continuous journey, and I've found that striking the right balance between exercise and diet has been the cornerstone for me. Every morning, I kickstart my day with a brisk 30-minute walk. This not only helps in managing my glucose levels but also gets my endorphins running. Post-walk, I indulge in some light yoga, focusing on asanas that help with blood circulation and stress reduction. On the diet front, breakfast is pivotal for me. I usually opt for something high in protein, like scrambled tofu or a Greek yogurt parfait, while keeping my carbs in check.

Alongside my lifestyle adjustments, I've added a plant-based supplement called GlucoTrust to my regimen. It aids in natural insulin secretion that keeps the glucose level normal and helps with weight loss. It has many other effects that you can read about in this article: https://www.outlookindia.com/outlook-sp ... ews-315780.

So, by combining all these habits, my glucose levels read 80 mg/dl on my last doctor's visit, which is a great result for a person with diabetes.

[caltrek]

GlucoTrust Reviews: Does It Work? What They Won’t Show You!

September 7, 2022

Extract:

(HeraldNet) GlucoTrust Ingredients Label

The makers of GlucoTrust do not disclose the full list of ingredients or dosages upfront. We know some of the 15+ ingredients in GlucoTrrust. However, we don’t know the names or dosages of all ingredients.
…
The makers of GlucoTrust do not disclose any clinical trials, scientific studies, or other information supporting the use of GlucoTrust’s ingredients. However, there’s plenty of third party evidence proving that chromium, biotin, juniper berries, licorice, and cinnamon can help balance blood sugar.
…
Overall, GlucoTrust contains a blend of natural ingredients linked to better blood sugar management. However, it’s held back by the lack of dosage information: we don’t know if GlucoTrust contains 1,000mg to 6,000mg of cinnamon extract as used in scientific studies – or if it only contains trace amounts. With limited dosage and ingredient information disclosed upfront, it’s hard to compare GlucoTrust to other top-rated diabetes supplements sold online today.

Read more here: https://www.heraldnet.com/marketplace/ ... show-you/

caltrek’s comment: It is, or should be, pretty standard in such recommendations to suggest that prospective users should consult with a physician begore using the product in question.

[weatheriscool]

10-second voice test shown to detect type 2 diabetes
By Ben Coxworth
October 18, 2023

Currently, if someone wants to see if they have type 2 diabetes, they have to travel to a clinic for blood tests and then wait for results. According to a recent study, however, a 10-second smartphone voice recording may soon deliver on-the-spot results immediately.

The study was conducted by scientists from international biotech firm Klick Labs, and involved 267 test subjects who had already been diagnosed as being either non-diabetic (192 people) or type 2 diabetic (75 people).

Each person was asked to record a specific spoken phrase on their own smartphone via an app, up to six times a day for two weeks. Depending on the speed at which each individual spoke, those recordings were six to 10 seconds long.

https://newatlas.com/medical/10-second- ... -diabetes/

[weatheriscool]

Implanting insulin-producing cells into the eye could help treat diabetes
By Michael Irving
October 22, 2023

Diabetes is one of the most pressing health concerns of our time, and now Swedish scientists have demonstrated a new potential way to manage the disease. It turns out the eye might be a useful place to implant insulin-producing cells to control blood sugar levels.

In patients with type 1 diabetes, the immune system mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, leaving the body unable to regulate blood sugar levels and leading to a host of health problems.

A promising emerging therapy involves growing new pancreatic cells from a patient’s stem cells, loading them into a device and implanting it into the body. Human clinical trials have shown success with this, but there’s a major catch – the immune system recognizes the device as foreign and rejects it. Immunosuppressant medications can counter that, but also leave the patient vulnerable to infections and other diseases.

https://newatlas.com/medical/diabetes-i ... e-implant/

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Diabetes-delaying drug shows promise in phase 3 clinical trial
By Michael Irving
October 23, 2023

A phase 3 clinical trial has shown that a drug called teplizumab can slow down progression of type 1 diabetes in children and teenagers with a recent diagnosis. The trial’s success could help expand the options for patients and relieve some burdens of the disease.

Type 1 diabetes often rears its head at a young age, as a patient’s immune system attacks beta cells in the pancreas and they lose the ability to produce insulin. Symptoms begin at stage 3 of the disease, but it can be diagnosed earlier with the detection of related autoantibodies and abnormal blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, little can be done with that extra time besides preparing for the lifestyle.

“There has been nothing available to stop the progression of type 1 diabetes after the diagnosis,” said Kevan Herold, lead author of the study. “We know that kids with new-onset diabetes lose the ability to make insulin over a period of years. Teplizumab seems to slow that down.”

https://newatlas.com/medical/teplizumab ... cal-trial/

[weatheriscool]

Study provides preliminary evidence in favor of a new type 1 diabetes treatment
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-11- ... tment.html
by University of Chicago Medical Center

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that causes the body's immune system to attack and destroy insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Traditional management of type 1 diabetes has primarily involved replacing the missing insulin with injections which, though effective, can be expensive and burdensome.

A new study, published in Cell Reports Medicine, led by researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine and Indiana University suggests that an existing drug could be repurposed to treat type 1 diabetes, potentially reducing dependence on insulin as the sole treatment. The study is titled "Inhibition of Polyamine Biosynthesis Preserves β-Cell Function in Type 1 Diabetes,"

[weatheriscool]

Boosting beta cells to treat type 2 diabetes
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-11- ... betes.html
by Weill Cornell Medical College

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have uncovered a novel route to stimulate the growth of healthy insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells in a preclinical model of diabetes. The findings hold promise for future therapeutics that will improve the lives of individuals with type 2 diabetes—a condition that affects more than half a billion people worldwide.

This study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation on Sept. 15, demonstrated that activating a pathway to promote cell division not only expanded the population of insulin-producing cells, but surprisingly, it also enhanced the cells' function.

"That's reassuring because there is a long-standing belief in the field that proliferation can lead to 'de-differentiation' and a loss of cell function," said study senior author Dr. Laura Alonso, chief of the division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, director of the Weill Center for Metabolic Health, and the E. Hugh Luckey Distinguished Professor in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. "Our result flies in the face of that dogma and suggests if we can find a way to trigger replication of the beta cells in the body, we won't impair their ability to produce and secrete insulin."

[weatheriscool]

Slow-release diabetes drugs could cut shots from daily to 3 times a year
By Michael Irving
November 21, 2023

Managing diabetes usually involves regular shots of insulin or other drugs, but soon patients might only need to inject themselves a few times a year. Stanford has developed a hydrogel-based delivery system that slowly releases drugs over months to control diabetes and even weight.

An effective and relatively recent form of diabetes treatment involves drugs that mimic a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which manages insulin release and reduces appetite. These include FDA-approved drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro, which also seem to have the bonus benefit of weight loss. These drugs are usually administered weekly, while the more familiar insulin shots are needed daily. Either way, that strict routine can be quite a burden on patients – and this is the problem that the Stanford team is tackling.

https://newatlas.com/medical/ozempic-gl ... ur-months/