INSULIN SHOCK! Docs switch course on diabetes care
SHOCKING new research suggests a large portion of the glucosecontrolling insulin doses taken by type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients is unlikely to work as expected — but the discovery may lead to the development of more effective preparations! University of Copenhagen scientists analyzed insulin on a molecular level and determined people with T1D may be taking medication that doesn’t absorb into the body as quickly as doctors had long believed. “We have miscalculated for decades,” declares Professor Nikos Hatzakis.
“We’ve gotten things wrong by 200 percent!” Insulin is a blood sugar– regulating hormone created by the pancreas. T1D occurs when the immune system attacks and destroys insulinproducing cells, forcing patients to inject or infuse insulin to survive.
The absorption of insulin in the body is controlled by how its molecules assemble themselves. A single molecule provides a rapid action, while sixmolecule groups — called hexamers — are the longest acting. It’s been assumed insulin assembles with a certain distribution of solo molecules and clusters of two and six, and pharmaceutical formulations were created based on those stats.
But the Danish researchers — who studied a whopping 50,000 clusters by using a mix of chemistry, computer simulations and advanced microscopy — debunked the established ratios!
Hatzakis says, “There are only half as many single molecules in insulin compared to what we thought. Conversely, there are far more six-molecule clusters than we assumed.” That distinction is important because it may affect how long and how rapidly administered insulin doses work — and for diabetics, too much or too little insulin can be lifethreatening!
Experts say fewer than one-third of diabetics are consistently achieving target blood glucose levels, putting them at increased risk for heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, lower-limb amputation and blindness. Hatzakis points out the new discovery doesn’t mean current insulin medications are bad — or that patients have been dosed wrongly — and explains, “We now have a basic understanding of how insulin behaves.”
He calls the groundbreaking research an opportunity to “check current insulin preparations and to develop new ones,” which could reduce dangerous blood sugar fluctuations and minimize health complications.