Alt-Support-Diabetes.org The Official Website for the Newsgroup

02 March 2021

• Swapping alpha cells for beta cells to treat diabetes
  Blocking cell receptors for glucagon, the counter-hormone to insulin, cured mouse models of diabetes by converting glucagon-producing cells into insulin producers instead, a team reports in a new study. The findings could offer a new way to treat both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in people.
• Genes identified that increase the risk of obesity but also protect against disease
  Scientists have identified 62 genes that lead to both higher levels of body fat but a lower risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. These genes may help to keep body fat healthy, and open a new avenue for developing drugs that lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
• Vitamin D deficiency does not increase risk of type 1 diabetes, study finds
  Genetically determined vitamin D levels do not have a large effect on risk of type 1 diabetes in Europeans, according to a new study.
• Study estimates two-thirds of COVID-19 hospitalizations due to four conditions
  A new study estimates 64 percent of adult COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. may have been prevented if there were less obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and heart failure. The model suggests notable differences by age and race/ethnicity in COVID-19 hospitalizations related to these conditions.
• Rapidly rising levels of sight loss are 'tip of the iceberg'
  Eye conditions that do not cause vision impairment but have economic and social consequences represent a serious and growing challenge for public health services worldwide.