ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) – Washington University researchers have found a way to reverse diabetes in some mice.
Molecular biologist Shin-ichiro Imai says his team restored normal blood sugar metabolism in mice with type two diabetes using a compound the body makes naturally called nicotinamide mononucleotide, or NMN, and it plays a vital role in how cells use energy. Imai says because this compound is a naturally occurring substance, it didn’t make the mice sick and it worked.
Researchers injected both young mice who ate high fat diets,andolder mice who developed diabetes due to the aging process with NMN. Co investigator Kathryn Mills says all the mice showed improvements. “They showed us an improved glucose tolerance test even after one injection. ”
Imai and his researchers believe NMN may someday be tested as a therapy in people with diabetes, or even used like a vitamin to try to prevent the disease.
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Natural compound helps reverse diabetes in mice
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