Diabetes: Discovery of a treatment more effective than many diabetes medicines; India's first diabetes biobank also established
Diabetes is a serious and chronic disease that can cause the risk of diabetes at any age. Everyone from children to the elderly is found to be suffering from diabetes. According to an estimate, more than 830 million people worldwide are suffering from this disease, however, the way people's daily routines and diet related problems are increasing, a little negligence can make you a victim of this disease.
The condition of diabetes also increases many types of complications in the body. Experts are constantly studying for its prevention and treatment. In a recent study conducted in this sequence, scientists have discovered an effective compound that can help reduce the sugar level and the problem of increasing fat in diabetes patients to a great extent.
This compound developed by researchers at Kumamoto University in Japan is considered to be particularly effective in many cases.
Discovery of a compound named HPH-15
According to medical reports, a team of scientists has developed a compound named HPH-15. It is being claimed that it can be helpful in reducing blood sugar and fat accumulation more effectively than the drug metformin. Metformin is a drug given to diabetes patients to control sugar.
Along with this, it is also being reported to have antifibrotic properties, which can be effective in keeping cells healthy, healing wounds, repairing tissues, and reducing the risk of cancer.
Revolutionary change in the treatment of diabetes
Experts believe that this innovation can revolutionize the treatment of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes affects millions of people around the world. It often causes complications such as fatty liver and insulin resistance which pose challenges to current treatment methods.
The team of researchers, led by Visiting Associate Professor Hiroshi Tateishi and Professor Eiichi Araki, have identified HPH-15 as a promising alternative to existing drugs such as metformin.
What did the study find?
The study, published in the journal Diabetologia, shows that HPH-15 outperforms metformin by activating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a key protein involved in regulating energy balance. The research found that HPH-15 not only improved glucose absorption in liver, muscle, and fat cells but also significantly reduced fat accumulation in mice fed a high-fat diet.
Unlike metformin, HPH-15 also displayed additional antifibrotic properties, potentially helping to reduce liver fibrosis and other complications often seen in diabetics.
India's first diabetes biobank
On the other hand, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in collaboration with the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) has set up the country's first diabetes biobank in Chennai, which is a repository of population-based biological samples aimed at aiding scientific research. It aims to collect, process, and store as well as distribute biological samples to aid scientific studies.
MDRF Chairman Dr V Mohan said that the biobank will facilitate advanced research on the causes of diabetes, diabetes in India, and related disorders.
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