Toronto, Canada (AHN) - Scientists may be one step closer to finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes.
New research at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Kids, being published in the journal Cell on Friday, reveals that diabetes may in fact be a disease of the nervous system, not the auto immune system as previously thought.
During the course of their research at the hospital, doctors injected diabetic mice with capsaicin (the active ingredient in hot chili peppers), and a neuropeptide substance, which seemed to reverse the disease.
According to Dr. Michael Salter, a pain expert and one of the lead researchers, "Mice with diabetes suddenly didn't have diabetes any more."
Although the researchers have to still confirm their findings in people, the doctors are optimistic the same connection between nerve endings and pancreatic performance exists in humans.
The doctor's discovery, while still in the nascent stages, could eventually provide a cure for the millions of people who suffer from diabetes, including the 41,000 Canadian deaths caused by Type 1 diabetes a year.
All Headline News - Canadian Scientists Close In On Diabetes Cure - December 17, 2006
