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Alas, there may be a possible medical treatment for this disease that has reached epidemic levels. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a condition whereby the liver becomes resistant to insulin due to a diet high in saturated fat. This results in high blood glucose levels and if not controlled early, can lead to heart and blood vessel disease, eye, nerve, kidney and foot damage etc.. Severe conditions of foot damage may even require amputations.
Thus, there has been extensive research done to find a cure for this disease, however, as it can be largely caused by lifestyle choices, it has been a tough journey. Traditionally, to prevent the symptoms of type 2 diabetes, ie high blood glucose levels, patients were told to cut down on carbohydrate intake and to exercise regularly. As type 2 diabetes usually occur in older individuals, it may be a little difficult for them to perform the latter. Hence, researchers at the Université Laval have found a molecule to mimic exercise.
While it has been known for a while that the molecule protectin D1, a derivative of an omega-3 fatty acid, reduced insulin resistance in the liver, the team found another molecule in the same family that could do the same and maybe more. The molecule, protectin DX, induced the release of interleukin-6, which increased blood glucose uptake by muscle cells, a process also seen during exercise. Furthermore, the molecule goes on to reduce glucose production by the liver, effectively reducing blood glucose levels.
However, experiments have only been done on mice and thus may not be aoplicable to humans. Furthermore, even if this therapy is effective in humans, it should not be a substitute for physical exercise as exercise has various "cardiovascular and other hormonal benefits that go well beyond its metabolic effect on muscles," one of the researchers noted. Also, I personally do not believe that this would be a permanent cure for type 2 diabetes as it does not increase the liver's ability to respond to insulin.
How then, should a cure for diabetes be found? Comment your suggestions below and if you liked the article, be sure to share it!
Thanks for reading!
Rederence:
Phillip J White, Philippe St-Pierre, Alexandre Charbonneau, Patricia L Mitchell, Emmanuelle St-Amand, Bruno Marcotte, André Marette. Protectin DX alleviates insulin resistance by activating a myokine-liver glucoregulatory axis. Nature Medicine, 2014; DOI: 10.1038/nm.3549
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