Both types of diabetes could be CURED by a daily probiotic pill

Status
Not open for further replies.
Northerner

Northerner

Admin (Retired)
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
A simple probiotic pill that 'rewires' the body could cure both types of diabetes, scientists claim.

The new drug, which contains live bacteria from the human gut, has been shown to drastically lower blood sugar levels.

The pancreas is the organ which controls glucose levels in the body in healthy individuals.

But scientists at Cornell University in New York discovered a protein secreted from a human probiotic could shift that control from the pancreas to the upper intestine.

The breakthrough, which relies on 'rewiring' the body, could, the Cornell team hope, pave the way for a cure for both type 1 and 2 diabetes.

Professor John March, who led the new research, said their findings are a 'proof of principle' which could prove the first step to developing a cure.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...iotic-pill-rewires-body-scientists-claim.html
 
Hmmm, not sure I'm convinced about that one!

They actually made an effort to explain the differences between T1 and T2 though, that makes a change!
 
Behind the headlines: a probiotic cure for diabetes?

This morning, the Daily Express ran a headline saying ‘Breakthrough pill can CURE diabetes: New drug fights both types of killer disease’. So is it true, can a pill now cure both type 1 and type 2 diabetes?

Sadly, no. But the study behind the headline is really interesting.

Researchers at Cornell University, led by Professor John March, have developed a ‘probiotic’ pill containing modified bacteria that are typically found in the human gut and given them to rats with diabetes.

Central to the story is a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1, better known as GLP-1. GLP-1 helps to regulate the body’s response to glucose in a meal. It does this by blocking the production of glucagon, so that glucagon does not act to raise glucose levels in the blood still further.

https://www.jdrf.org.uk/news/latest-news/behind-the-headlines-a-probiotic-cure-for-diabetes
 
Daily Mail article is actually quite accurate, differentiating between types 1 and 2 of diabetes. More easily missed is the phrase "proof of principle" which means a possible pathway for developing treatment and / or cure is possible, or at least worth following, not thjat it necessarily will lead to a cure.
 
Isn't Byetta or Victoza GLP-1 ?

In which case 'cure' might be a bit of an exaggeration !
 
I've heard stories similar to this in the past whereby they get the muscles to secrete the insulin via some nefarious process! This has benefits because the body doesn't attack the insulin secreting cells like it does with those in the pancreas.

In any event, I suspect such work will take a very long time to come to fruition because they're playing too much with how the body should work (or 're-wiring' as that article puts it).

Andy 🙂
 
Modified bacteria may be useful in treating diabetes

NHS Choices analysis:

This is preliminary research and there are many questions unanswered, such as how many cells might be converted over time. In addition, it should be made clear that this was not a probiotic pill. This was a genetically modified bacterium.

And, even assuming the engineered bacterium was safe to use in humans, an increase in insulin levels, while welcome, does not amount to a cure for diabetes.

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/02Febru...teria-may-be-useful-in-treating-diabetes.aspx
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top