To date, type 1 diabetes cannot be cured. Those affected usually have to inject insulin for the rest of their lives. However, a study now gives hope.
Munich – diabetes is a complex metabolic disease characterized by elevated blood sugar levels and is based on insulin resistance or insulin deficiency. Although the disease can be treated well with medication, according to the Federal Ministry of Education and Research there is no cure – until now.
“I can eat sugar now”: First woman cured of type 1 diabetes
A 25-year-old woman from Tianjin, China, was cured of type 1 diabetes for the first time. This was reported by the trade magazine Nature. The young woman’s body began producing insulin again after a stem cell transplant. “I can eat sugar now,” she told the magazine.
What is type 1 diabetes?
In type 1 diabetes, the body no longer produces insulin. However, the hormone is needed to absorb sugar (glucose) from food and convert it into energy. The predisposition to the autoimmune disease can be inherited. Those affected must monitor their blood sugar levels and inject insulin for the rest of their lives. Stay often Diabetes symptoms unrecognized. To date there is no cure.
Source: diabinfo
During the treatment, the body’s own stem cells were “reprogrammed” so that they produce insulin in the pancreas. The approximately 30-minute operation took place in June 2023. Around 1.5 million islet cells were then injected into the tree space. Two and a half months later, the woman was producing her own insulin and was able to keep her blood sugar levels at a constant level.
Researchers are amazed: “This is remarkable” – woman cured of type 1 diabetes for the first time
“This is remarkable,” marveled Daisuke Yabe, a diabetes researcher at Kyoto University in Japan. “If this translates to other patients, that would be great.” James Shaprio, a transplant surgeon at the University of Alberta in Canada, was also amazed by the results of the operation. “They completely reversed the patient’s diabetes, which previously required significant amounts of insulin,” the researcher told Nature.
For now, we just have to wait and see how the 25-year-old’s insulin production develops in the coming years. Further research is also needed because the operation was only tested on 25-year-old women. The associated one study was published in the scientific journal Cell published. Nevertheless, the treatment raises hope that in a few years other diabetes sufferers could also be cured.
Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes is usually caused by lifestyle, such as an unhealthy diet and little exercise, as well as a hereditary predisposition. Even caffeine on an empty stomach can promote diabetes. However, according to a study, if you eat breakfast at a certain time, you can enormously reduce your risk of diabetes. (kas)
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