Bacteria in the intestine can produce bio chemicals and hormones that could stop diabetes developing, scientists have found. Research groups in Canada and Switzerland have now shown that the influence of the intestinal bacteria extends even deeper inside the body than was previous thought.
They believe it influences the likelihood of developing type 1 diabetes at an early age. In children and young people, diabetes is caused by the immune cells of the body damaging the special cells in the pancreas that produce the hormone insulin.
By chance, 30 years ago, before the development of genetic engineering techniques, Japanese investigators noticed that a strain of NOD laboratory mice tended to get diabetes. These mice, also by chance, have many of the same genes that make some humans susceptible to the disease. With the help of the special facilities of the University of Bern and in Canada, these teams have been able to show that the intestinal bacteria, especially in male mice, can produce bio chemicals and hormones that stop diabetes developing.
Researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto found that when female mice at high risk of type 1 diabetes were exposed to normal gut bacteria from adult male mice, they were strongly protected against the disease. In this type of mouse strain, more than 85% of females develop autoimmune diabetes due to strong genetic risk factors. In contrast, only 25% of the females developed the disease after they were given normal male gut microbes early in life.
‘Our findings suggest potential strategies for using normal gut bacteria to block progression of insulin dependent diabetes in children who have high genetic risk,’ said Dr. Jayne Danska, senior scientist in genetics and genome biology at the hospital and Professor in the Departments of Immunology and Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto.
Diabetes in young people is becoming more and more frequent, and doctors even talk about a diabetes epidemic. This increase in diabetic disease has happened over the last 40 years as our homes and environment have become cleaner and more hygienic. What is not yet known is why some children have high levels of appropriate bacteria and others don’t. The research speculates that this could be due to cleaner homes and a living environment that is too hygienic but that has not been proven.
At the moment, once a child has diabetes, he or she requires lifelong treatment. ‘We hope that our new understanding of how intestinal bacteria may protect susceptible children from developing diabetes, will allow us to start to develop new treatments to stop children getting the disease,’ said Professor Andrew Macpherson from the Clinic for Visceral Surgery and Medicine at the Inselspital and the University of Bern.
They believe it influences the likelihood of developing type 1 diabetes at an early age. In children and young people, diabetes is caused by the immune cells of the body damaging the special cells in the pancreas that produce the hormone insulin.
By chance, 30 years ago, before the development of genetic engineering techniques, Japanese investigators noticed that a strain of NOD laboratory mice tended to get diabetes. These mice, also by chance, have many of the same genes that make some humans susceptible to the disease. With the help of the special facilities of the University of Bern and in Canada, these teams have been able to show that the intestinal bacteria, especially in male mice, can produce bio chemicals and hormones that stop diabetes developing.
Researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto found that when female mice at high risk of type 1 diabetes were exposed to normal gut bacteria from adult male mice, they were strongly protected against the disease. In this type of mouse strain, more than 85% of females develop autoimmune diabetes due to strong genetic risk factors. In contrast, only 25% of the females developed the disease after they were given normal male gut microbes early in life.
‘Our findings suggest potential strategies for using normal gut bacteria to block progression of insulin dependent diabetes in children who have high genetic risk,’ said Dr. Jayne Danska, senior scientist in genetics and genome biology at the hospital and Professor in the Departments of Immunology and Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto.
Diabetes in young people is becoming more and more frequent, and doctors even talk about a diabetes epidemic. This increase in diabetic disease has happened over the last 40 years as our homes and environment have become cleaner and more hygienic. What is not yet known is why some children have high levels of appropriate bacteria and others don’t. The research speculates that this could be due to cleaner homes and a living environment that is too hygienic but that has not been proven.
At the moment, once a child has diabetes, he or she requires lifelong treatment. ‘We hope that our new understanding of how intestinal bacteria may protect susceptible children from developing diabetes, will allow us to start to develop new treatments to stop children getting the disease,’ said Professor Andrew Macpherson from the Clinic for Visceral Surgery and Medicine at the Inselspital and the University of Bern.
(by BARBARA HEWITT on FEBRUARY 6, 2013 as posted on www.diabetesforum.com)
