Enzymes Associated With The Complications Of Diabetes Mellitus
Abstract: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease resulting from failures in the production or response to the hormone insulin. Much of the pathogenesis and mortality attributed to DM are due to the long-term complications of hyperglycaemia, which is characteristic of the disease. This thesis presents structural and functional studies of two previously uncharacterised human enzymes, dihydrodipicolinate synthase-like protein (DHDPSL) and D-xylulokinase (XK). Both enzymes were revealed to have unexplored associations with DM. DHDPSL is distantly related (~25% sequence identity) to a family of Schiff base-dependent aldolases that include dihydrodipicolinate synthase and N-acetylneuraminate lyase. Despite these distant homologies the biological function of DHDPSL is unknown. It also does not map to any known metabolic pathway in humans, but is targeted to the mitochondrial compartment consistent with the presence of a mitochondrial targeting sequence. There are also strong associations between mutations in the Dhdpsl gene and primary hyperoxaluria type III a rare disorder of endogenous oxalate production. The DHDPSL crystal structure was determined by X-ray crystallography utilising in situ proteolysis of a fusion of DHDPSL with maltose-binding protein for crystallisation. Two apoforms and six Schiff base complexes with potential ligands were analysed at best to 2.0 Å resolution and with an Rfree of 18.3%. DHDPSL is folded as (a/ss)₈-barrel with a C-terminal subdomain and forms a tetramer in the crystal. The structural consequences of the diseaserelevant DHDPSL mutations were analysed and were found to largely affect the C-terminal subdomain. Findings also showed that DHDPSL acts as an oxaloacetate decarboxylase and is therefore likely to be a bifunctional oxaloac Continue reading >>
- Coding Diabetes Mellitus with Associated Conditions
- Excessive fruit consumption during the second trimester is associated with increased likelihood of gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective study
- Complicated urinary tract infections associated with diabetes mellitus: Pathogenesis, diagnosis and management
Inhibition Of Key Digestive Enzymes Related To Diabetes And Hyperlipidemia And Protection Of Liver-kidney Functions By Trigonelline In Diabetic Rats
Go to: Diabetes is a serious health problem and a source of risk for numerous severe complications such as obesity and hypertension. Treatment of diabetes and its related diseases can be achieved by inhibiting key digestive enzymes related to starch and lipid digestion. The findings revealed that the administration of trigonelline to surviving diabetic rats helped to protect the pancreas β-cells from death and damage. Additionally, the supplement of trigonelline to surviving diabetic rats significantly decreased intestinal α-amylase and maltase by 36 and 52%, respectively, which led to a significant decrease in the blood glucose rate by 46%. Moreover, the administration of trigonelline to surviving diabetic rats potentially inhibited key enzymes of lipid metabolism and absorption such as lipase activity in the small intestine by 56%, which led to a notable decrease in serum triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) rates and an increase in the HDL cholesterol level. This treatment also improved glucose, maltase, starch, and lipid oral tolerance. Trigonelline was also observed to protect the liver-kidney functions efficiently, which was evidenced by the significant decrease in the serum aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities and creatinine, albumin, and urea rates. The histological analysis of the pancreas, liver, and kidney tissues further established the positive effect of trigonelline. Overall, the findings presented in this study demonstrate that the administration of trigonelline to diabetic rats can make it a potentially strong candidate for industrial application as a pharmacological agent for the treatment of hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and liver-kidney dysf Continue reading >>
Natural Enzyme Has Potential To Reverse Type 2 Diabetes
A natural compound found in the body, called nicotinamide mononucleotide, or NMN, is found to help restore normal blood sugar metabolism.… NMN is an enzyme that helps the body’s cells use energy that may work in humans to prevent or reverse type 2 diabetes. Shin-ichiro Imai, MD, PhD, associate professor of developmental biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis said the effect of nicotinamide for controlling diabetic symptoms in mice was “remarkable”. The compound had a more potent effect in females, said Imai. “After giving NMN, glucose tolerance goes completely back to normal in female diabetic mice.” For the published study, researchers injected older diabetic mice with NMN. Kathryn F. Mills, research lab supervisor and an equally contributing first author of the study said, “We also injected older healthy mice and found that they weren’t adversely affected. It’s good to know that even if the mice are not diabetic, giving NMN is not going to hurt them.” Consuming a high fat diet and aging are contributors to diabetes. The researchers say a fatty diet and aging is also associated with lower levels of nicotinamide mononucleotide. NMN is vital for the production of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD, which is an oxidizing agent that has several roles in metabolism. One of the functions of NAD is activation of a protein called SIRT that boosts insulin sensitivity in the body. The authors say NMN acts the same in humans and mice. “But whether this mechanism is equally compromised in human patients with type 2 diabetes is something we have to check,” Imai says. “We have plans to do this in the very near future.” First author Jun Yoshino, MD, PhD, postdoctoral research associate, says the effect of the naturally occu Continue reading >>
Is It Safe To Take Supplements If You Have Diabetes?
You will find supplements for anything and everything these days. Even when you do not suffer from an ailment, supplements are suggested to keep you healthy and ailment-free. According to CDC, use of supplements is common among US adult population – over 50% adults used supplements during 2003-2006, with multivitamins/multiminerals being the most commonly used. So when you are a diabetic, especially if you have prediabetes and type-2 diabetes, you may find yourself confronting a large number of options for supplements that claim to support, reduce and even cure your diabetes. Diabetes is quite a frustrating disorder and you may find yourself tempted to try out these supplements one after another. But is it really safe to take supplements when you are a diabetic? Let us find out. But before that you need to understand what exactly supplements are. Defining Supplements As the name suggests, a supplement is anything that adds on to something. A dietary supplement is therefore something that one takes in addition to one’s diet to get proper nutrition. US Congress in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act defines dietary supplements as having the following characteristics: It is a product that is intended to supplement the diet; It contains one or more dietary ingredients (including vitamins, minerals, herbs and other botanicals, amino acids, and other substances) or their constituents; It is intended to be taken by mouth as a pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid; It is not represented for use as a conventional food or as sole item of a mean or a diet; and, It is labeled on the front panel as being a dietary supplement. Now let us look at some general benefits and risks of taking supplements. We will discuss these in context of diabetes later in the article. Benefit Continue reading >>
There's A Totally New Type Of Diabetes And It's Being Misdiagnosed As Type 2
Most people are familiar with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Recently, though, a new type of diabetes has been identified: type 3c diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is where the body's immune system destroys the insulin producing cells of the pancreas. It usually starts in childhood or early adulthood and almost always needs insulin treatment. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas can't keep up with the insulin demand of the body. It is often associated with being overweight or obese and usually starts in middle or old age, although the age of onset is decreasing. Type 3c diabetes is caused by damage to the pancreas from inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), tumours of the pancreas, or pancreatic surgery. This type of damage to the pancreas not only impairs the organ's ability to produce insulin but also to produce the proteins needed to digest food (digestive enzymes) and other hormones. However, our latest study has revealed that most cases of type 3c diabetes are being wrongly diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Only 3 percent of the people in our sample – of more than 2 million – were correctly identified as having type 3c diabetes. Small studies in specialist centres have found that most people with type 3c diabetes need insulin and, unlike with other diabetes types, can also benefit from taking digestive enzymes with food. These are taken as a tablet with meals and snacks. Researchers and specialist doctors have recently become concerned that type 3c diabetes might be much more common than previously thought and that many cases are not being correctly identified. For this reason, we performed the first large scale population study to try and find out how common type 3c diabetes is. We also looked into how well people with this type of diabetes have their blood sugar Continue reading >>
Liver Enzymes And Risk Of Ischemic Heart Disease And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Mendelian Randomization Study
We used Mendelian randomization to estimate the causal effects of the liver enzymes, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), on diabetes and cardiovascular disease, using genetic variants predicting these liver enzymes at genome wide significance applied to extensively genotyped case-control studies of diabetes (DIAGRAM) and coronary artery disease (CAD)/myocardial infarction (MI) (CARDIoGRAMplusC4D 1000 Genomes). Genetically higher ALT was associated with higher risk of diabetes, odds ratio (OR) 2.99 per 100% change in concentration (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.62 to 5.52) but ALP OR 0.92 (95% CI 0.71 to 1.19) and GGT OR 0.88 (95% CI 0.75 to 1.04) were not. Genetically predicted ALT, ALP and GGT were not clearly associated with CAD/MI (ALT OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.54 to 1.01, ALP OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.16 and GGT OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.19). We confirm observations of ALT increasing the risk of diabetes, but cannot exclude the possibility that higher ALT may protect against CAD/MI. We also cannot exclude the possibility that GGT increases the risk of CAD/MI and reduces the risk of diabetes. Informative explanations for these potentially contradictory associations should be sought. Observational studies usually show some measures of liver function, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Among these liver enzymes, gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) is most strongly positively associated with both CVD1,2 and T2DM3,4, although GGT is a non-specific marker of liver function. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is more clearly positively associated with T2DM4,5 than w Continue reading >>
- Why eating late at night will do more than just make you gain weight - it also raises risk of diabetes and heart disease, study reveals
- New study finds that sitting for protracted periods increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and death
- SERPENTINA: The Herb For Diabetes, Liver, Heart Disease, Kidney, Colds And Flu
Elevated Liver Function Enzymes Are Related To The Development Of Prediabetes And Type 2 Diabetes In Younger Adults
OBJECTIVE Elevations in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), surrogate markers of liver dysfunction and nonalcoholic fatty liver, are considered as part of metabolic syndrome and related type 2 diabetes. However, information is limited regarding the long-term predictability of ALT and GGT in the development of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, normoglycemic (n = 874), prediabetic (n = 101), and diabetic (n = 80) adults aged 26–50 years (average age 41.3 years) were followed over an average period of 16 years since their young adulthood (aged 18–38 years, average age 25.1 years), with measurements of cardiometabolic risk factor variables including ALT and GGT. RESULTS The follow-up prevalence rate of adult diabetes status by quartiles of baseline ALT and GGT levels showed an adverse trend for both prediabetes (P < 0.05) and diabetes (P < 0.01). In a longitudinal multivariate logistic regression analysis that included anthropometric, hemodynamic, and metabolic variables, as well as alcohol consumption and smoking, individuals with elevated baseline ALT and GGT levels (per 1-SD increment) were 1.16 and 1.20 times, respectively, more likely to develop diabetes (P = 0.05 for ALT and P < 0.01 for GGT); no such associations were noted for prediabetes. Regarding the predictive value of ALT and GGT, the area under the receiver operating curve analysis yielded C values ranging from 0.70 to 0.82, with values significantly higher for diabetes compared with prediabetes. CONCLUSIONS These findings in younger adults suggest potential clinical utility of including ALT and GGT as biomarkers in diabetes risk assessment formulations. Impaired glucose homeostasis is one of the most common causes Continue reading >>
Association Between Liver Enzymes And Incident Type 2 Diabetes In Singapore Chinese Men And Women
Aims To assess the association between liver enzymes and the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a Chinese population. Methods A nested case–control study comprising 571 T2D cases and 571 matched controls was conducted within the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were quantified in baseline plasma collected from them, while γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) was assayed among 255 T2D cases with baseline hemoglobin A1c <6.5% and 255 matched controls. Participants were free of diagnosed diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer at blood collections (1999–2004). Incident self-reported T2D cases were identified at follow-up II interview (2006–2010). Controls were matched to cases on age, sex, dialect group, and date of blood collection. Results Higher levels of ALT and GGT were significantly associated with increased risk of T2D (p for trend <0.001 for ALT, p for trend=0.03 for GGT), and the ORs (95% CIs) comparing highest versus lowest tertiles of ALT and GGT were 2.00 (1.01 to 3.96) and 2.38 (1.21 to 4.66), respectively. A null association was observed for AST, ALP, and LDH with T2D risk. Adding GGT (<23 vs ≥23 IU/L) or ALT (<21 vs ≥21 IU/L) to a prediction model resulted in significant gain in net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement of T2D prediction (all p<0.001). Conclusions Higher levels of GGT and ALT are associated with increased T2D risk. GGT ≥23 IU/L and ALT ≥21 IU/L may identify people at higher risk of developing T2D in this Chinese population. This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others t Continue reading >>
- Association between consumption of dairy products and incident type 2 diabetesinsights from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer study
- Diet Soda Intake and Risk of Incident Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)*
- Relation of total sugars, fructose and sucrose with incident type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies
The Connection Between Diabetes And Your Pancreas
A direct connection exists between the pancreas and diabetes. The pancreas is an organ deep in your abdomen behind your stomach. It’s an important part of your digestive system. The pancreas produces enzymes and hormones that help you digest food. One of those hormones, insulin, is necessary to regulate glucose. Glucose refers to sugars in your body. Every cell in your body needs glucose for energy. Think of insulin as a lock to the cell. Insulin must open the cell to allow it to use glucose for energy. If your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or doesn’t make good use of it, glucose builds up in your bloodstream, leaving your cells starved for energy. When glucose builds up in your bloodstream, this is known as hyperglycemia. The symptoms of hyperglycemia include thirst, nausea, and shortness of breath. Low glucose, known as hypoglycemia, also causes many symptoms, including shakiness, dizziness, and loss of consciousness. Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia can quickly become life-threatening. Each type of diabetes involves the pancreas not functioning properly. The way in which the pancreas doesn’t function properly differs depending on the type. No matter what type of diabetes you have, it requires ongoing monitoring of blood glucose levels so you can take the appropriate action. Type 1 diabetes In type 1 diabetes the immune system erroneously attacks the beta cells that produce insulin in your pancreas. It causes permanent damage, leaving your pancreas unable to produce insulin. Exactly what triggers the immune system to do that isn’t clear. Genetic and environmental factors may play a role. You’re more likely to develop type 1 diabetes if you have a family history of the disease. About 5 percent of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. People who ha Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes And Fatty Liver Disease
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a group of conditions in which fat builds up in the liver, leading to inflammation of the cells where it is stored and causing the liver to get bigger. It can progress to more serious conditions, including fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver. Fatty liver disease "is so common. It’s present arguably in a majority of type 2 diabetics,” says Daniel Einhorn, MD, clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego and the medical director of the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute. “None of us thought about it more than about 10 years ago, then all of a sudden we discovered it and see it all the time.” Fatty Liver Disease and Type 2 Diabetes: The Connection Diabetes does not cause fatty liver disease. Instead, the two diseases tend to occur in the same people because the same conditions cause both problems. “So, it’s not the diabetes per se. People with diabetes also have obesity and insulin resistance, and so the fatty liver is thought to be part of that,” Dr. Einhorn explains. Einhorn says that most cases of fatty liver disease do not cause any harm. However, since type 2 diabetes and obesity are so common in the United States, fatty liver disease is now a leading cause of end-stage (fatal) liver disease requiring a liver transplant, along with alcohol abuse and hepatitis. Fatty Liver Disease Diagnosis Fatty liver disease has no symptoms. People who are being treated for diabetes will have liver enzyme tests as part of their routine blood work during medical exams. Ninety-nine percent of the cases of fatty liver disease are detected by this test, says Einhorn. In some cases it will be picked up during the physical exam or in imaging studies, like a computed tomography scan of the abdomen or a liver ul Continue reading >>
Principles Of Biochemistry/glucose, Glycogen And Diabetes
Glucose (C6H12O6, also known as D-glucose, dextrose, or grape sugar) is a simple sugar (monosaccharide) and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as a source of energy and a metabolic intermediate. Glucose is one of the main products of photosynthesis and starts cellular respiration. Glucose exists in several different structures, but all of these structures can be divided into two families of mirror-images (stereoisomers). Only one set of these isomers exists in nature, those derived from the "right-handed form" of glucose, denoted D-glucose. D-glucose is often referred to as dextrose. The term dextrose is derived from dextrorotatory glucose. Solutions of dextrose rotate polarized light to the right (in Latin: dexter = "right"). Starch and cellulose are polymers derived from the dehydration of D-glucose. The other stereoisomer, called L-glucose, is hardly found in nature. The name "glucose" comes from the Greek word glukus (γλυκύς), meaning "sweet". The suffix "-ose" denotes a sugar. The name "dextrose" and the 'D-' prefix come from Latin dexter ("right"), referring to the handedness of the molecules. Glucose is a monosaccharide with formula C6H12O6 or H-(C=O)-(CHOH)5-H, whose five hydroxyl (OH) groups are arranged in a specific way along its six-carbon backbone.[1] In its fleeting open-chain form, the glucose molecule has an open (as opposed to cyclic) and unbranched backbone of six carbon atoms, C-1 through C-6; where C-1 is part of an aldehyde group H(C=O)-, and each of the other five carbons bears one hydroxyl group -OH. The remaining bonds of the backbone carbons are satisfied by hydrogen atoms -H. Therefore glucose is an hexose and an aldose, or an aldohexose. Each of the four carbons C-2 through C-5 is chiral, meaning that its four bonds conne Continue reading >>
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- Diabetes and Sleep Apnea: How Sleep Affects Blood Glucose and Diabetes
- Diabetes and eye disease: How diabetes affects vision and eye health
The Role Of The Pancreas In The Digestive (exocrine) System
The role of the pancreas in digestion and sugar metabolism Along with the liver, the pancreas is one of the master chemists of the body. In fact, it’s two chemists in one. The pancreas is a gland about the size of a hand, tucked between a bend in the upper part of the intestines (the duodenum) and the stomach. One function of the pancreas produces enzymes for the digestive system in the exocrine tissue. The other function of the pancreas creates hormones as part of the endocrine system. Within the pancreas the tissues of both systems intertwine, which makes it difficult to treat the pancreas because things that work on one system very easily damage the other. In essence, the pancreas is a digestive organ in that all its functions relate to digestion and the regulation of nutrients entering the blood stream – especially sugar in the form of glucose. While its exocrine function connects directly to the small intestine through a system of ducts, the endocrine pancreas connects to the rest of the body through the blood and nervous systems. Both systems react to the demand for energy and the complex chemical biofeedback controlled process of digestion. The stomach breaks down the bulky food you eat and starts the process of reducing the large nutrient molecules with gastric acids. The intestines carry out the task of absorbing the nutrients into the bloodstream. The pancreas, with its ducts leading into the top of the small intestine, plays a crucial role in digestion by secreting enzymes that cut apart large nutrient molecules, making smaller molecules that can be absorbed into the bloodstream through the walls of the intestines. Within the pancreas, acinar cells produce the digestion enzymes, which travel in pancreatic juice into the duodenum through a system of ducts Continue reading >>
A New Drug May Be Able To Completely Reverse Diabetes
Scientists have used a new drug to reverse diabetes in mice. The drug inhibits the enzyme LMPTP, which contributes to the development of Type 2 diabetes by weakening the body's sensitivity to the hormone. Defining Diabetes In the global community, the number of people with diabetes has been on the rise since 1980, with 422 million people diagnosed by 2014. The U.S. alone has experienced a substantial rise in the incidence of diabetes, with the number of Americans diagnosed increasing from 5.5 million in 1980, to 22 million in 2014—a more than 300 percent increase in less than 40 years. A team of researchers, led by Stephanie Stanford at the University of California, San Diego, is proposing a solution in the form of a single pill that aims to restore insulin sensitivity in diabetic patients. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body’s response to insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating sugar in our blood, weakens. A number of genetic and lifestyle factors will influence whether or not someone develops this type of diabetes in their lifetime. Up until now, drugs were unable to restore the insulin signaling function in diabetic patients — instead, they work by filtering out excess glucose in the blood that comes as a result of the dysfunction. The drug produced by Stanford’s team, on the other hand, hopes to restore function. Restoring Function The drug inhibits an enzyme called low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (LMPTP), which is suspected to contribute to the reduction in cell sensitivity to insulin. With reduced LMPTP activity, the drug reenables insulin receptors on the surface of cells — particularly those in the liver — which in turn restores the cell’s ability to regulate excess sugar. When the body can once again regulate blood sug Continue reading >>
What Is Diabetes?
Glucose is a simple sugar that functions as a main source of energy in the body. Glucose is obtained from the food we eat and the liver where it is stored. When food is digested, this sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream where it can be taken up by muscles and tissues to be converted to energy, or is stored as glycogen in the liver for later use. Absorption of glucose from the blood into cells requires insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that is released in response to elevated sugar levels in the blood. It works by signaling certain receptors on the outer cells of muscles and tissues to become active, allowing for the movement of glucose into the cell. Insulin thus lowers blood sugar, and as blood sugar level drops, so does the secretion of insulin from the pancreas. Diabetes Mellitus refers to a group of diseases that affect the absorption of glucose from the blood stream, causing high blood sugar. Chronic or long-lasting diabetes conditions include type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, which differ in how insulin is produced and used. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. This results in the production of little or no insulin. Instead of being transported into your cells, sugar builds up in your bloodstream. Current research is uncovering the role inflammation plays in the onset and severity of type 1 diabetes. The presence of inflammatory markers like cytokines have been shown to predispose pancreatic beta cells for destruction by the immune system.1 Additionally, inflammation has been shown to affect the ability of insulin to trigger the uptake of glucose into cells, a condition referred to as insulin resistance, in type 1 diabetes.2 In type-2 d Continue reading >>
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- Leeds diabetes clinical champion raises awareness of gestational diabetes for World Diabetes Day
- Diabetes doctors: Which specialists treat diabetes?
Type 3 Diabetes: Scientists Discover Entirely New Form Of Disease—and It's Being Misdiagnosed
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Most people are familiar with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Recently, though, a new type of diabetes has been identified: type 3c. Type 1 diabetes is where the body’s immune system destroys the insulin producing cells of the pancreas. It usually starts in childhood or early adulthood and almost always needs insulin treatment. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas can’t keep up with the insulin demand of the body. It is often associated with being overweight or obese and usually starts in middle or old age, although the age of onset is decreasing. Type 3c diabetes is caused by damage to the pancreas from inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), tumours of the pancreas, or pancreatic surgery. This type of damage to the pancreas not only impairs the organ’s ability to produce insulin but also to produce the proteins needed to digest food (digestive enzymes) and other hormones. However, our latest study has revealed that most cases of type 3c diabetes are being wrongly diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Only three percent of the people in our sample—of more than 2 million—were correctly identified as having type 3c diabetes. Small studies in specialist centers have found that most people with type 3c diabetes need insulin and, unlike with other diabetes types, can also benefit from taking digestive enzymes with food. These are taken as a tablet with meals and snacks. Researchers and specialist doctors have recently become concerned that type 3c diabetes might be much more common than previously thought and that many cases are not being correctly identified. For this reason, we performed the first large scale population study to try and find out how common type 3c diabetes is. We Continue reading >>
