Biochemical Approach to Treating Diabetes May Replace Diabetes Drugs
The biologists discovered that a protein called cryptochrome which regulates the biological clocks of both plants and mammals also regulates the liver's production of glucose. The researchers had been aware of the protein's role in regulating biological clocks, but its importance in regulating the hormone that regulates glucose production in the liver came as a shock to them. "What was incredibly surprising is that cryptochrome has a new function that nobody had predicted," said researcher Eric Zhang from the University of California, San Diego. The surprise function that cryptochrome performs is regulating a process called gluconeogenesis which provides our brain and other organs with a steady supply of glucose while we're asleep or fasting. "We used to think that our metabolism was regulated primarily by hormones that are released from the pancreas during fasting or feeding. This work shows that the biological clock determines how well these hormones work to regulate metabolism," explains professor Marc Montminy from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies,"The study may explain why shift workers, whose biological clocks are often out of kilter, also have a greater risk of developing obesity and insulin resistance." Mice that don't have good biological clocks tend to develop diabetes and obesity. The researchers discovered that altering the level of the protein cryptochrome in diabetic mice improved their health. They are now wondering if some cases of diabetes could be the result of a faulty circadian clock (the body's 24-hour cycles), and if finding ways of fixing the faulty biological cycle could lead to a "whole new way of thinking" in treatments for diabetes. Almost 24 million American adults and children (about eight percent of population) have diabetes. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the US, down from the fifth leading cause in 2007. Type 2 diabetes (also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes) is the most common form of the disease. Ninety to ninety-five percent of diabetics have type 2 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes either the body does not produce enough insulin, or the body's cells ignore the insulin that is produced. The result is high blood glucose levels, which increases the risk of heart disease, blindness, circulation problems and nerve and kidney damage. Type 2 diabetes is treated first with diet, exercise and, if necessary, weight loss. If these measures fail to control the blood sugar levels, oral diabetes medications are prescribed. Robert Anderson is specializing in writing articles on how to save on medication by buying from Canada Pharmacy. For more information about the author and savings on Canadian drugs please visit http://www.canadapharmacyonline.com Disclaimer: Article submitters are solely responsible for the content of their articles. ArtiLib can't be held liable for the contents of the articles. Report Abuse | Browse By Category |
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