Insulin Resistance Hope Found with New Study

Diabetes is a very bad disease that can be controlled usually with medication and diet. In many cases people with diabetes start to experience insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is happening to too many of these diabetics. My father happens to be one of these people. There is new hope though. In a study that was performed recently by Gerald Shulman, MD, PhD, it was shown that a specific gene is linked to insulin resistance according to the American Diabetes Association.

In the study the researchers used two groups of rats and fed each group a different diet. One group was fed a high starch diet, and the other was fed a high fructose diet. They blocked the PGC-1 gene activity and found that the rats with the high fructose diet did not become insulin resistant. Another amazing thing is that it did not raise their triglycerides either. This gives us hope because this could lead to many new treatments that will help keep diabetics from becoming insulin resistant.

With this new research they will be seeing if there is some way to block the PGC-1 gene from causing the insulin resistance in diabetes patients. This will bring so much hope to people with the same problem as my father. If you do not know about insulin resistance, it is a problem that occurs in many patients that have been taking insulin for years. This is a major problem because it causes other problems such as ketoacidosis and even coma. My father became insulin dependent after being diagnosed with the disease over 20 years ago. He is what a brittle diabetic, which means that sometimes the insulin works very well and other times it doesn't work at all! You never know what will happen to his blood sugar.

I love the fact that they are doing research like the study above because it gives me hope that one day we will no longer have insulin resistance in diabetics. Eventually they will find a way to treat patients effectively without the risk of forming insulin resistance. This is a very interesting study because if they can prove the link in rats, they should be able to prove a link in humans. The PGC-1 gene will one day be able to be blocked, which will mean a great breakthrough in treatment. This study is a wonderful research breakthrough because it will lead to more research projects to unlock the diabetes mysteries.

More studies have shown that exercising will improve insulin resistance. Also another study has shown that Vitamin K reduces insulin resistance in men. If you are a diabetic or know someone that is, you can benefit from this information. See what you can do to help yourself or someone you know. The disease is devastating, but it can usually be controlled. We must all take better care of ourselves to help prevent and control diseases.

American Diabetes Association, "Blocking Gene Inhibits the Development of Insulin Resistance in a High-Fructose Diet". American Diabetes Association