Diabetes has reportedly been around since 1500 B.C but much later in 100 A.D, the Greek physician, Aretaeus of Cappadocia, was the first to coined the condition as“diabetes”, which means “siphon” in Greek. Since then, scientists are continually working to find cures and treatments for the 9.3% of Americans who face diabetes.

Below are some of the most recent breakthroughs you need to know about.

#1. Regular Alcohol Drinkers Have Reduced Threat of Diabetes

As claimed by a Danish study, those who drank a small to medium amount of alcohol on a frequent basis are have reduced chance of ever developing diabetes than those who don’t drink. The study focused on 70,000 people, 28,704 men and 41,847 women, and tracked their development of diabetes within approximately five years.

The results showed that the men who drank 14 drinks per week had the lowest risk. The women who drank 8 drinks per week had an even lower risk. The type of drink matters too.Men or women who drank wine or beer enjoyedthe leastluck of having diabetes. Drinking spirits didn’t seem to affect men but women who drank seven or more spirits a week had a heightened risk of developing diabetes.

#2. Fasting May Reverse Diabetes and Restore the Pancreas

In a recent study, micewere placed into an artificial fasting method for 4 days a week over several months. The scientists found this was, as a matter of fact, sufficient enough torevitalize beta cells in the pancreas. The damaged cells were found to be replaced with working ones. They also experimented on human pancreatic cell cultures that also imitated fasting produced additional insulin and more of the Ngn3 protein which is required for standard pancreatic function.

#3. Preventative Vaccine to be Tested on Humans

A preventive vaccine could put a stop to type 1 diabetes and the clinical trials that are set to begin in 2018. Of course, it’s not a cure and won’t eliminate the disease altogether. It is expected to supply immunity against a virus that’s been found to prompt the body’s defense into attacking itself. Thus, potentially reducing the number of new diabetes cases. In a trial, the vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, has been successful in reversing type 1 diabetes in mice and 103 humans.

The upcoming trial will experiment the result of the vaccine in humans with type 1 diabetes over a time frame of five years. The researcher, Dr. Denise Faustman, also claims the trial will aid in establishing what amount of dose will be required for the vaccine to be victorious.