In Type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system destroys the cells that produce insulin, leaving your body unable to make it. In Type 2 diabetes, the body continues to produce insulin, but organs don’t respond to it efficiently. As a result, insulin injections, which effectively treat Type 1, don’t do as much to help people with Type 2 diabetes.
There is a class of drugs called thiazolidinediones that help restore the body’s ability to respond to insulin. Unfortunately, these drugs also cause a variety of side effects, including weight gain, bone density loss, and heart problems, so the search for a less problematic treatment has continued.
Now, working with mice, researchers have found that a well-known growth factor also restores the body’s sensitivity to insulin and does so without any of the side effects associated with existing drugs. And they show that a modified form of the growth factor can still work effectively while reducing the risk of unforeseen consequences. This doesn’t mean that using this method as a treatment will be free of side effects, but it does provide a promising avenue for further experiments.
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