Researchers have announced that following a recent trial, several Americans have completely recovered from diabetes and have stopped using insulin.
A team of researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine Transplant Institute shared the results of an ongoing trial conducted on individuals suffering from type 1 diabetes.
Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system damages the insulin producing cells in the pancreas.
Without insulin, patients with type 1 diabetes have no mechanism to control blood sugar levels, causing sugar to accumulate in the bloodstream to dangerous levels. As a result, the body begins to break down fat for energy, producing acidic substances called ketones, which can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition that may cause brain swelling, kidney failure, heart attack, and potentially death.
In this trial, 10 patients with type 1 diabetes underwent islet cell transplantation. These are small clusters of specialized cells found in the pancreas that produce hormones responsible for controlling blood sugar.
Within just four weeks, all 10 patients became free from insulin use, meaning their bodies were able to produce insulin on their own and they no longer required expensive additional injections.
