Diabetes is a global health problem affecting an estimated 346 million people worldwide and a leading cause of death. Diabetes is a serious, chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes.
Based on the medical communities’ current knowledge of diabetes, type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, however, if caught early, there are effective approaches available to prevent type 2 diabetes. Researchers from Japan presented data at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2018 Annual Meeting showing elevated metabolic markers for diabetes may be detectable more than 20 years before the disease is diagnosed.
Between 2005 and 2016, researchers in Japan followed more than 27,000 people without diabetes. Participants were followed until a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes or prediabetes was made or until the end of 2016. At enrollment 15,778 patients had normal glucose levels and 11, 614 participants had prediabetes. Over the course of the study, there were 4,781 new cases of prediabetes and 1, 067 new cases of type 2 diabetes.
Body mass index, fasting glucose and insulin resistance were all increased up to 10 years before a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes was made. Ten years prior to diagnosis, mean fasting glucose was 101.5 mg/dL in patients who went on to develop type 2 diabetes compared to 94.5 mg/dL in patients that did not develop type 2 diabetes. By 5 years prior to diagnosis, fasting plasma glucose increased to 105 mg/dL and at 1 year prior to diagnosis that increased to 110 mg/dL compared to the steady mean of 94 mg/dL in patients that did not develop type 2 diabetes.
Patients that did not develop type 2 diabetes maintained stable body mass index ratings and stable insulin sensitivity markers while participants that developed type 2 diabetes showed an increased body mass index and a decrease in insulin sensitivity as early as 10 years prior to diagnosis. For the first time, this study shows at what time point markers for type 2 diabetes begin to appear. Early intervention and lifestyle modification should begin early. Healthcare providers should be monitoring patients closely for changes in body mass index, fasting glucose measurements and insulin sensitivity. Earlier intervention may reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality related to type 2 diabetes.
If you have already been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, early intervention will not help you however, the Stem Cells Transplant Institute uses mesenchymal stem cells to treat the signs and symptoms of diabetes. Stem cell therapy, at the Stem Cells Transplant Institute, may decrease hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and the complications associated with hyperglycemia:
- Heart disease
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Diabetic neuropathy
- Diabetic nephropathy (reduced kidney function)
- Vision problems including diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma
Clinical trials have shown mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to differentiate, self-renew, suppress the immune system, reduce inflammation, and repair tissues. Stem cell therapy, at the Stem Cells Transplant Institute, may help patients with diabetes that are not responding adequately to standard drug treatment, are newly diagnosed and would like to try stem cell therapy before initiating drug treatment or would like to reduce the symptoms associated with diabetes including:
- Erectile dysfunction
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Headaches
- Slow healing cuts or sores
- Itchy skin
- Numbness and tingling of the hands and feet
- Muscle weakness
- Loss of reflexes
- Loss of balance and/or coordination
- Increased sensitivity to touch
By targeting the cells in the pancreas, and reducing inflammation, stem cell therapy at the Stem Cells Transplant Institute, may decrease hyperglycemia and improve the symptoms associated with diabetes.
Mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to:
- Differentiate into insulin-producing cells
- Regenerate and protect pancreatic cells
- Restore beta cell function and mass
- Convert alpha cell to beta cells
- Reduce inflammation and insulin resistance
For more information about stem cell therapy for the treatment of diabetes, contact us today at the Stem Cells Transplant Institute.
Reference:
- Sagesaka H. et al.; Type 2 Diabetes: When Does it Start? J Endocr Soc. 2018 Apr 18;2(5):476-484 and European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2018 Annual Meeting; October 1-5, 2018; Abstract 312
