Over time, diabetes can cause havoc in the cardiovascular system of the body, kidneys, eyes and nerves. However, a major study by researchers at the Centre of Joslin Diabetes, discovered that some people who survived for decades with diabetes show very few complications - a discovery that points to the presence of factors of protection against the effects of the disease.
Scientists have studied 351 participants in the study of 50 years of the Joslin medalist, which examines people living with diabetes type 1 of 50 years or more. Among this population, 43% are with diabetic eye complications, 87% of kidney disease, 39% of nerve diseases and 52% of cardiovascular were unharmed.
Surprising number of medalists without complications "are strong evidence that protection of molecular, physiological, or genetic mechanisms, that these lucky people, fight the toxic effects of sugar in the blood for many decades," says Jennifer Sun, M.D.auteur of the book published in diabetes care.
As a group, the Joslin medalists are very cautious in control of their blood glucose levels. However, within a reasonable range of glycemic control, the study found that the freedom of complications does not appear to correlate with these unique people how controlled blood glucose in the blood are evil in diabetes. This conclusion differs from results that appear in all the major recent studies of diabetes management.
Found tracks for this protection in a family of proteins called advanced glycation end products advanced analysis final (years), which were the highest blood sugar. In the study, subjects which were exposed to two specific ages were more than seven times more likely to have complications. But this study has also shown for the first time that a combination of two other age is associated with protection against the disease of the eyes.
In addition, researchers have found a group of medallists, followed Beetham Eye Institute at Joslin, whose eye complications of diabetes stabilized after 17 years in the soft stage rather that continue to deteriorate as expected. This new finding indicated that protection factors are present in this group.
Medallist Joslin Study collected data on more than 600 people and running that a wide range of research protects many of them because of complications.
In addition, these veterans of diabetes can provide other important lessons, as Dr. Sun points out.
"The ideas of the medalist study are very challenging for patients only were diagnosed with diabetes or early disease, especially young children, and adolescents," he said. "We say to these encouraged patients to control their blood sugar and obtain their recommended diabetes because they can live several decades with excellent vision and the ability to avoid serious complications".
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