Researchers says Glucagon pathway could be new approach for type 2 diabetes

New research suggests that targeting glucagon may be a better approach in the treatment for type 2 diabetes, according to a new study published in Cell Metabolism.

As diabetics will understand, insulin is the hormone responsible for lowering blood sugar levels while glucagon is the hormone which raises your blood glucose.  The research shows that rather than targeting insulin, preventing glucagon from increasing your glucose levels may be a better approach.

Ira Tabas, MD, PhD, Richard J. Stock Professor and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Medicine and professor of Anatomy & Cell Biology, led the study alongside Lale Ozcan, PhD, associate research scientist.

In a press release, Dr.Tabas said:

"What we’ve found is a way to reduce glucagon’s influence on blood sugar without the side effects of global glucagon repression."

Drugs that target glucagon have been tested previously but it was found that they also disrupted the other important roles that glucagon plays in the body.  This new study looked at the role that the enzyme CaMKII plays.  The researchers found that if they blocked this enzyme in diabetic mice, their blood sugars went down with no ill effects.  They also discovered that cholesterol levels went down, the liver wasn't so fatty and insulin sensitivity was improved.

 Dr. Tabas said:

"Even when their disease is well controlled, most patients with type II diabetes have excess glucagon action, so blocking CaMKII could potentially be a new way to lower blood sugar and better treat the disease."

“Until now, it has been difficult to block glucagon’s effect on blood sugar without interfering with glucagon’s other function but we think CaMKII is different.”

Dr. Tabas is now working on CaMKII inhibitor which could treat type 2 diabetes.

Low glycemic breakfast can help control blood sugars the rest of the day

New research shows that starting the day with a low glycemic breakfast can have a positive impact on blood sugars for the rest of the day, helping to prevent spikes in blood sugar through the morning and also after the next morning.  Details of the research were presented at the  Institute of Food Technologists’ Wellness 12 meeting.

The findings were presented by  Kantha Shelke, Ph.D., principal, Corvus Blue LLC, and Richard Mattes, M.P.H., R.D., distinguished professor of foods and nutrition at Purdue University'  They also stated that low glycemic foods eaten at breakfast increased satiety and fullness making people less likely to over eat later in the day; previous research has established that low glycemic foods such as beans, pulses and oats make you feel fuller for longer.

The glycemic index measures how quickly a food raise your blood sugars: the quicker a food is digested, the quicker it raises your blood sugar.  Foods with a lower glycemic index have less of an impact on your blood sugar and give blood glucose a slower, steadier rise and are thought to be much better for you.

 Kantha Shelke, Ph.D., said:

“We can reverse pre-diabetes and prevent it from becoming diabetes. Food has become the reason for what’s ailing us, but it can actually be a solution in a number of different ways.”

Low glycemic breakfast foods include oatmeal or porridge or other oat-based cereal and rye or pumpernickel bread.