A hormone that could help diabetics is discovered

Douglas Melton

Scientists identified a hormone that may significantly increase the number of insulin producing cells in mice. In the future this finding might be able to lead to a treatment for the most common type of diabetes.

The human being has his own version of this hormone, but the new research suggests that increasing the power of diabetics may help avoid insulin injections. According to Douglas Melton, of the Harvard Medical School, this would give them more control over their sugar levels in the blood.

However, other experts not involved in the research indicated that other substances have shown similar effects in mouse cells but did not work in humans. Melton said that this hormone is different because its effect is unusual, and it’s power is only restricted to insulin-producing cells.

Melton indicated that it would be difficult to treat Type 1 diabetes, because there are differences in the biology of the disease.