Science / Medicine : New Hope for Adult Diabetics

Medical researchers have discovered that a naturally occurring hormone increases the production of insulin, a finding that may eventually simplify the treatment of the most common form of diabetes. A study in the January edition of the medical journal Endocrinology follows earlier research by the same investigators who isolated the hormone, known as glucagon-like peptide-I (7-37).

The team, led by Hans Joel Habener of Massachusetts General Hospital, suggested that the hormone may eventually be synthesized and dispensed commercially to treat adult-onset diabetics who do not produce enough of the hormone insulin, which controls the use of sugar by cells throughout the body. The team said they had already begun clinical trials in humans.

Diabetes is a leading cause of death by disease in the United States and is associated with serious complications, including blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, strokes, loss of limbs and birth defects. In the United States, as many as 11 million people suffer from adult-onset diabetes, which typically occurs in overweight people over the age of 40.