Autism and type 2 diabetes may share a link
Individuals with type 2 diabetes have a form of the disease that can make their cells resistant to insulin. However, those who buy Canadian Actos can help control their blood sugar.
Individuals with type 2 diabetes have a form of the disease that can make their cells resistant to insulin. However, those who buy Canadian Actos can help control their blood sugar. Scientific research continues to find links between other diseases and the behavior of insulin. One biochemist theorizes that the rising incidences of type 2 diabetes and autism may be linked.
Hyperinsulinemia occurs when there is too much insulin in the blood, a condition that portends the onset of type 2 diabetes. Michael Stern, a biochemist from Rice University, had been conducting experiments in fruit flies that demonstrated how the PI3K/Tor pathway is involved with insulin signals in cells, and that insulin could affect the way nerve cells interact.
When combining his investigations with previous studies that suggested gestational diabetes is a risk factor for autism, Stern hypothesized that hyperinsulinemia may be involved with the development of autism spectrum disorders, as published in Frontiers in Cellular Endocrinology.
"Based on what's already in the literature, insulin needs to be taken seriously as a causative element in autism," Stern said. "I hope that clinicians will take the next step and put this to a rigorous test and determine how to best use this information to benefit patients."
One way to test this theory is to feed autism spectrum disorder patients low-carb diets to see if symptoms improve, according to Stern.
|
