Breakthrough Protects Diabetics from Insulin Side Effects

Mon, 10 May 2010
Diabetics can be protected from possible dangerous side effects insulin can pose to their hearts, thanks to a breakthrough by scientists.

The hormone treatment is life-saving for many diabetics but can also cause long term damage to the heart by blocking blood vessels.

This means that many diabetics are at risk of suffering a heart attack or certain dangerous heart problems.

Stem cells are able to reverse symptoms of multiple sclerosis as researchers have identified a natural bodily process which can help protect them.

Around 2.5 million people in the UK have Type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form of the disease. Many of them end up having insulin treatment.

There are around 100,000 Type 1 diabetics in Britain who are also treated with insulin, from an earlier stage.

Researchers have discovered that insulin can cause some cells within blood vessels to grow more than they should, causing a narrowing of the passageway.

However, a naturally occurring molecule, called C-peptide, is also released at the same time as insulin in healthy people which halts cell growth.

Diabetics are given Insulin to control blood sugar levels. However, it can cause the vessels which supply the blood to the heart to become blocked.

Hence, those with diabetes are more prone to heart attacks.

Should they even undergo a heart bypass operation the new veins grafted into the heart are more likely to become blocked, causing more damage.

Link to this page

Copy and Paste the following HTML into your page.