‘Surgery in a pill’ a potential treatment for diabetes.
-
Over the last decade, bariatric surgeons have made strides in performing weight loss surgery that not only reverses obesity but can also reverse type 2 diabetes in patients with both conditions.
-
Despite dramatic improvements in quality of life and diabetes remission, the number of patients who pursue surgery remains relatively low.
-
Researchers were prompted to find a less invasive but equally effective treatment for reversing type 2 diabetes, one that can offer the same benefits as surgery but that may have wider appeal and application.
-
Researchers reported now on results of a preclinical study in which an oral agent was administered in rats to deliver a substance that could temporarily coat the intestine to prevent nutrient contact with the lining in the proximal bowel and avoid post-meal spikes in blood sugar.
Yuhan Lee, Tara E. Deelman, Keyue Chen, Dawn S. Y. Lin, Ali Tavakkoli, Jeffrey M. Karp. Therapeutic luminal coating of the intestine. Nature Materials, 2018; DOI: 10.1038/s41563-018-0106-5
