Four years ago, the number of people in the U.S. with diabetes was 26 million. However, the most recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the number has continued to rise at an alarming rate with over 29 million Americans now having the condition.
In the absence of medical breakthroughs that could effectively treat diabetes and if the incidence of the disease continues to rise given the obesity epidemic and the prevalence of lifestyle practices that increases risks for type2 diabetes, the most common type of the disease, health officials fear that one in three Americans will have diabetes by 2050.
Results of a study conducted by researchers from the University of Montreal and CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM) in Canada, however, brings hope that a potential cure for the chronic disease is on the way.
In the study "All-trans retinoic acid stimulates gene expression of the cardio-protective natriuretic peptide system, and prevents fibrosis and apoptosis in cardiomyocytes of obese ob/ob mice" which was presented at the Annual Conference of the Canadian Nutrition Society on June 6 and published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism on April 30, Daniel-Constantin Manolescu, from the University of Montreal and colleagues, found that treating obese and insulin-resistant mice with retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, resulted in reduced blood glucose, insulin resistance, body weight, and adipocyte size.
"In obese and insulin resistant mice, retinoic acid reduces the risk of cardiac apoptosis, stimulates the expression of cardio-protective genes reduced by the disease, and protects against the accumulation of collagen in the cardiac muscle, thus avoiding the occurrence of fibrosis and possible associated future complications," Manolescu said.
Study co-researcher Jean-Louis Chiasson, also from the University of Montreal, said that their study found new metabolic effects of retinoids that could pave way to the development of drugs that could treat obesity and diabetes as results of the experiment with mice show that retinoic acid has the potential to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity as well as prevent cardiovascular complications associated with the disease.
"Our studies on animals show that retinoic acid induces normalization of blood glucose and reduction of obesity," Chiasson said. "Our research identifies new metabolic effects of retinoids and may lead to anti-obesity and anti-diabetic medicines."
The continued prevalence of diabetes raises concern as individuals who have the condition are at increased risks for heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and early death. The prevalence of the disease also has economic implications. Medical bills and lost earnings from work because of diabetes-related causes amounts to $245 billion.
