Diabetics

We're diabetics.

Scientists have discovered that a protein that plays a crucial role in healing broken bones is not fully functional in diabetics.

Both sulforaphane and metformin reduce glucose production by the liver, through a mechanism the body uses to ensure it has enough fuel during periods of fasting, like overnight. In diabetics who are also overweight, Rosengren said, the liver's glucose production function is not sensitive to the body's needs, and the liver dumps too much glucose into the bloodstream, causing unhealthy spikes in blood sugar levels.

Researchers ran trials of the software for the artificial pancreas with 11 diabetics. The system effectively controlled participants' blood sugar for 27 hours, during which time they ate three high-carbohydrate meals and slept through the night at a hospital.

The operation moves the ileum closer to the pancreas, the organ that makes the insulin we need to process sugar into energy. A digestive hormone in the transposed intestine stimulates the pancreas to secrete more insulin, so diabetics don't need to take it artificially. Ileum transposition also corrects insulin resistance in Type 2 diabetics, according to Erik Wilson, who performs bariatric surgery at the University of Texas Houston.

Diabetics, who have difficulty regulating their blood sugar, face a host of serious complications, including stroke, heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and limb amputations.

Did you know Tom and Mary were diabetics?