The ‘seven-year switch’ before insulin stabilises with diabetes

THERE IS a “seven-year switch” in people with Type 1 diabetes before insulin levels stabilise, scientists have revealed.

New research has shown that the rapid decline in insulin production which causes Type 1 diabetes continues to fall by almost 50 per cent each year for seven years and then stabilises.

Scientists at the University of Exeter said the findings were a major step forward in understanding Type 1 diabetes, and contradicts previous beliefs that the insulin produced by people with the condition drops relentlessly with time.

It also offers the hope that by understanding what changes after seven years, new strategies could be developed to preserve insulin secreting beta-cells in patients.

The study of 1,549 people from Exeter and Tayside measured C-peptide, which is produced at the same time and in the same quantities as the insulin that regulates our blood sugar.

By measuring C-peptide levels in blood or in urine, scientists can tell how much insulin a person is producing themselves, even if they are taking insulin injections as treatment.

Dr Beverley Shields, who led the research, said: “This finding is really exciting. It suggests that a person with Type 1 diabetes will keep any working beta-cells they still have seven years after diagnosis.”