A compound naturally made by cells may fight type 2 diabetes
Americans with adult-onset diabetes, also known as type 2 diabetes, can control their blood sugar if they exercise, eat right and buy Canadian Actos at a fraction of the cost.
Americans with adult-onset diabetes, also known as type 2 diabetes, can control their blood sugar if they exercise, eat right and buy Canadian Actos at a fraction of the cost. Research continues to find novel medications to treat this metabolic disorder, but scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered they may be able to fight diabetes using a compound already made within the body's cells.
Every cell makes nicotinamide mononucleotide, or NMN. NMN helps produce another compound known as NAD, which is vital to energy metabolism in cells, the researchers said. Levels of both NMN and NAD wane due to aging and a high-fat diet, leading to conditions such as diabetes. Administering NAD directly to cells may be toxic, but the scientists wanted to know if NMN may have any therapeutic value.
In the laboratory, the team studied mice that had become diabetic after eating a high-fat diet. After injecting these mice with NMN, NAD levels normalized, and the mice had better measurements for glucose tolerance.
However, males only had a fraction of the benefit from NMN that females got, leading the researchers to speculate that sex hormones play a role in this mechanism.
Further studies are needed to see if mice can take NMN orally through their drinking water, and if humans could experience similar benefits.
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