Hope for type 1 diabetics - Diabetics Weekly

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Hope for type 1 diabetics

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September 6, 2016

Hope for type 1 diabetics

Metformin is a common drug used by type 2 diabetics to keep blood sugar levels controlled. Now, new research suggests that, by slowing down the advancement of heart disease, it may also benefit type 1 diabetes.

The study consisted on having two groups. One group consisted of patients taking metformin. The other consisted of type 1 diabetes patients with no evidence of heart disease and under insulin treatments. In both cases, the patients and their stem cells were monitored.

The study found that metformin increases the number of vascular stem cells. This means that diabetic patients can rehabilitate their own damaged blood vessels.

Dr. Jolanta Weaver, the leader of this study, said that the research is a step forward in having positive clinical implications for patients with risk of cardiovascular disease.

How does this help type 1 diabetics? Heart disease in type 2 diabetics is responsible for over half of all diabetes deaths.

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The Alzheimer’s connection….

It is known that the risk of dementia increases in type 2 diabetes patients. The blame is put on the high fat diet, and the increase in blood sugar. But did you know that Alzheimer's could actually increase the risk of type 2 diabetes? Yes, according to researchers at the University of Aberdeen. A collaborative effort of 2 research teams at the university, one working on Alzheimer's and the other on type 2 diabetes, have found that the reverse may also be true. "Alzheimer’s disease may put a patient at risk of developing type 2 diabetes." The culprit, a protein called BACE1, is behind the increased risk of type 2 diabetes in Alzheimer’s patients. Increased levels of BACE1 may be responsible for inducing diabetes in Alzheimer’s patients. The research was carried out in mice by increasing the levels of the BACE1 protein. They noted that in the presence of increased BACE1 protein levels, there were increased levels of fat in the plasma, insulin resisstance, nerve damage, and reduced glucose processing in the body. So, it is not just increased fat or high blood sugar, the presence of increased levels of BACE1 in the brain may also increase the chance of getting type 2 diabetes.