(Newswire.net — July 7, 2015) — Scientists are testing those at risk for diabetes with insulin pills. The theory is to desensitize the beta cells of the pancreas using insulin pills. What if insulin pills, if given early enough, could also prevent the disease in some people who are at risk? The pills of insulin in the study are similar to insulin that is being used by those with diabetes who require insulin injections.
According to my discussion with Dr. Wendy Brickman, a diabetes specialist at Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital who is involved as a leading researcher in the study, she explained that researchers think taking insulin by mouth so that it’s digested like food might somehow trick the faulty immune system into not attacking insulin-making cells. She told me “It may work by sensitizing the beta cells, and there may be numerous factors involved on how this may work, we are not sure. It could be multifactorial, viral or other factors that cause damage that result in diabetes.” About those at risk for diabetes she continued to say, “For those that are interested in being part of the study, we test for insulin antibodies in first and second degree relatives that have Type 1 diabetes, and to contact Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital to be part of the study in Chicago. We don’t really know why these antibodies develop; even women who breast feed, their children can still get Type 1 diabetes.” This study is also being done at other locations and in 8 other countries. A test for an antibody to insulin, if positive is unfortunate. This blood test means the chances for developing the disease are high.
Insulin has been a life-saving diabetes treatment for many years. Over 400 children and adults are participating in a U.S. government-funded international research investigating the idea if experimental insulin capsules can prevent or at delay Type 1 diabetes. Hospitals in the United States and eight other countries are involved, and it is still possible to be part of the study.
A small study by different researchers, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests this method of using insulin pills might work. Children who took insulin pills showed immune system changes and this may benefit those who could get diabetes. The study was too small and didn’t last long enough to know for sure. So this new large study is being done.
In the past Diabetes is recognized as an elevation of blood sugar. I believe Diabetes should be renamed “Metabolic Impairment.” Many people around the world now have diabetes and prediabetes but do not know it. If one-third of Americans are known to have insulin resistance according to a new book by a leading endocrinologist (Dr. Isaac Jacobs MD), then imagine how many are NOT properly processing the 3 major food groups of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
Diabetes, the sugar problem, costs will soon be over $200 billion a year in the US. However if you add all the undiagnosed Diabetes and pre-diabetes and associated problems, the cost is dramatically higher. There are many different cancers linked to obesity and or diabetes in the medical literature, I believe we will find more about how important the metabolic state is, and the association with cancer are probably greater than what care provides know, due to many reasons that I site in some of my books on cancer and chronic diseases.
Doctors and nutritionists tend to classify patients as prediabetes with slightly elevated blood sugars. My definition is more inclusive to incorporate inability to properly process all carbohydrates and fats. The reason that I want to expand the diagnosis is to better find and stop problems with metabolism that lead to overt diabetes and related diseases caused by these metabolic problems.
Impaired fasting blood sugar or impaired fasting glucose (IFG) refers to a condition in which the fasting blood glucose is elevated above what is considered normal levels but is not high enough to be classified as diabetes mellitus. It is considered a pre-diabetic state, associated with insulin resistance and increased risk of cardiovascular pathology, and other diseases. Impaired fasting glucose tests have a lesser risk than impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).
IFG can progresses to type 2 diabetes mellitus. There is a 50% risk over 10 years of progressing to overt diabetes. Many newly identified IFG patient’s progress to diabetes in less than three years.
Metabolic dysfunction and raising blood glucose levels are in a continuum of a growing problem that I classify as Metabolic Impairment. Prediabetes is one form of Metabolic Impairment.
Impaired fasting glucose is a fasting glucose that is higher than the upper limit of normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes mellitus. Some patients with impaired fasting glucose can also be diagnosed with impaired glucose tolerance, but many have normal responses to a glucose tolerance test. That is another reason for using the term as Metabolic Impairment.
According to the CDC, without lifestyle changes to improve health, 15% to 30% of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within five years.
A person with certain risk factors is more likely to develop prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. These risk factors include: age, especially after 45 years of age; being overweight or obese; a family history of diabetes; having an African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander racial or ethnic background; a history of diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes) or having given birth to a baby weighing nine pounds or more; and being physically active less than three times a week.
If you do have prediabetes, research shows that doing just two things can help you prevent or delay type 2 diabetes: Lose 5% to 7% of your body weight, which would be 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person; and get at least 150 minutes each week of physical activity, such as brisk walking.
Prediabetes Fact: 97 million Americans are insulin resistant, and millions more have metabolic impairment or prediabetes; yet most are unaware. Diabetes and Prediabetes are more than just a sugar problem; they are metabolic disorders of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
Can viruses cause diabetes?
We now know that certain rotaviruses and enteroviruses that cause gastrointestinal problems are linked to diabetes. As the kind of milk that an infant child has in the first two years supplied, whether or not they have been breastfed, this relates to the antigenicity of the milk. This can precipitate immune reactions that are adverse, however, in the case of breastfeeding in the first six months of life can improve outcome as long as the mother’s diet is non-toxic. I’ve talked about mercury in breast milk and passing through the placenta to cause damage to the baby’s Beta cells of the pancreas in my book called PreDiabetes.
In Type II diabetes, insulin levels are typically elevated indicating there’s a loss of sensitivity of the insulin to the cells and problems with the cell receptors. In Type II, there may be enough not be enough insulin that is doing the job of unlocking the cells to let the sugar inside cells, nor does the pancreas send signals to the liver to secrete the adequate amount of insulin needed, or pulse insulin to get the liver to also emit many key enzymes needed for biochemical pathways for proper metabolism. I cover this in detail in my first book called Find and Stop Diabetes. It’s important to recognize the role that prediabetes has as well. There may also be a degree of insulin resistance.
Prediabetes is considered impaired glucose tolerance. They’re higher than normal but not too high. I suggest a different category completely which refers to metabolic impairment since the sugar may be slightly elevated or there may be evidence of inadequate processing of carbohydrates, fats, and glucose.
Diabetes is a very complex disease
Diabetes is more than a sugar disorder and that it’s characterized by chemical imbalances of fat and protein, there’s lesser inflammation, and immune system problems. Insulin is at the heart of the diabetic order. Problems arise when the pancreas did not produce enough insulin or pulsing insulin where the body becomes resistant to insulin and the receptors cannot take in glucose inside the cell where it’s needed for energy or the doorkeeper receptors have not allowed glucose to enter into the cell. The problem causes a serious set of problems and that is why diabetes is such an expensive problem. Too much insulin is bad and it drops the sugar too low or causes inflammation, not enough insulin causes problems with elevated sugars and problems with metabolism, and so diabetes is more than just a simple disorder of sugar.
According to the Health Care Financing Administration and other sources, Health Care costs are 1 in every 7 dollars spent, and comprise of over $2 trillion per year in the United States. Prediabetes and Diabetes have the highest price tag of any of the diseases. That is why we are researching new ways to detect diabetes and prediabetes.
About the Author
Dr. Kevin Buckman is the Chief Medical Officer of Viratech Corp and he has been researching the prevention, treatment, and early detection of diabetes and prediabetes for many years and has written books on diabetes.