Diabetes Classroom
by Robert S. Benchley
Tips and resources for living with diabetes
Diabetes Laboratory
Recent news from the research front in the fight against diabetes
Bones Offer Diabetes Clue
Osteocalcin, a hormone found in bone cells that helps regulate the body’s metabolism, may offer hope for treatment of type 2 diabetes. People with untreated type 2 diabetes typically have lower levels of the hormone than do people without the disease. Scientists manipulating the osteocalcin levels in mice report that when levels are lowered, the mice become abnormally fat and develop symptoms of diabetes. When the mice are then treated with osteocalcin, their blood glucose levels return to normal. Monkeys come next. Human trials could be years away.
Stem Cells Slow Diabetes
A research experiment in Brazil involving stemcell transplants in 15 patients with type 1 diabetes is showing great promise in the search for a cure for the disease. The treatment — which is risky because patients are vulnerable to infections during the therapy — enabled 14 of the 15 patients, ages 14 to 31, to stop their daily insulin for months or even longer. One patient was able to stop insulin for 35 months. The researchers, who are continuing to monitor the patients’ progress, say this treatment will only work if the diabetes is recently diagnosed.
Your Genes May Hold the Answers
In July, scientists announced the discovery of a gene that can raise a person’s risk of developing type 1 diabetes. The discovery will help them learn more about how the disease develops, pointing the way to new treatments and perhaps even therapies administered early in life that would prevent its development. In April, scientists identified seven genes associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. Genetic research is rapidly showing promise for better understanding and treatment of diabetes and many other diseases.
Helpful Resources
American Diabetes Association
1701 N. Beauregard St.
Alexandria, VA 22311
1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383)
http://www.diabetes.org
American Heart Association
National Center
7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231
1-800-AHA-USA-1 (1-800-242-8721)
http://www.americanheart.org
American Stroke Association
National Center
7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231
1-888-4-STROKE (1-888-478-7653)
http://www.strokeassociation.org
National Cholesterol Education Program
NHLBI Information Center
P.O. Box 30105, Bethesda, MD
20824-0105
1-301-592-8573
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov
National Health Information Center
P.O. Box 1133,Washington, DC 20013-1133
1-800-336-4797
http://www.health.gov/nhic
National Institutes of Health
9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892
1-301-496-4000
http://health.nih.gov
National Institute on Aging
Building 31, Room 5C27
31 Center Drive, MSC 2292
Bethesda, MD 20892
1-800-222-2225
http://www.nia.nih.gov