Diabetes & T3

[Guest guest]

Noticed this yesterday!

A thyroid hormone that could fight against diabetes

Tue, 30 Nov 2010

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma in the US have discovered a hormone in

the thyroid that could help millions of people with diabetes. The scientists

were actually examining the effect of cold temperatures and a thyroid hormone on

cardiovascular disease, when they realised that, as coldness can induce higher

blood pressure in animals and humans, diabetic mice might develop the condition

quicker in cold temperatures.

On putting both diabetic mice and non-diabetic mice into a box maintained at a

constant 41 degrees, it was found that although the non-diabetic mice survived,

the diabetic mice died in just two hours. This breakthrough meant that the

animals could not maintain their body temperatures, and made them realise that

perhaps giving the diabetic mice a thyroid hormone would increase their body

temperatures.

An injection of thyroid hormone, T3, did raise the body temperature and also

significantly decreased blood sugar levels within a couple of hours and reduced

it by over half in four hours. They also discovered that the thyroid hormone

level in the diabetic animals is extremely low, while the blood sugar was about

five times higher than normal levels. It is now hoped that T3 could be a

potential treatment for type 2 diabetes, as the researchers try to uncover what

allows the hormone to lower blood sugar levels.

Zhongjie Sun, who led the study at the OU Health Sciences Center, which will be

published in the British Journal of Pharmacology, said " these are important

studies and could have a significant impact for the millions of people with type

2 diabetes . "

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2010/Nov/a-thyroid-hormone-that-could-fight-again\

st-diabetes-96577120.html