GETTY Diabetes news: New 'breakthrough' developed to stop condition developing

In experiments mice did not develop the condition because levels of a hormone called ghrelin were high. This was caused by blocking another hormone called glucagon which also controls blood sugar - just like ghrelin and insulin. Professor Jeffrey Zigman, of Texas University Southwestern, said: "We studied mice that lack glucagon receptors.

"When we tried to make these animals diabetic by giving them an agent that destroys insulin-producing cells the mice did not develop diabetes. "Their blood sugar was normal. In addition to these results we found their ghrelin levels were high." In further studies when the researchers blocked the action of the elevated ghrelin it caused the animals' blood sugar levels to drop below normal.

GETTY Pharmaceutical companies are now developing drugs targeting glucagon receptors to treat diabetes

Dr Zigman said: "These findings suggest when glucagon activity is blocked circulating levels of ghrelin rise which helps to prevent dangerously low blood sugars from developing - a condition known as hypoglycaemia." Pharmaceutical companies are now developing drugs targeting glucagon receptors to treat diabetes. These include antibodies that will neutralise glucagon receptors and drugs that will block them. Dr Zigman said: "The body's normal ghrelin response should protect diabetic individuals being treated with agents that target glucagon receptors from experiencing hypoglycaemia,"

GETTY Type 1 diabetes is the less common form that affects younger people

His study published in Diabetes focused on type 1 diabetes - the less common form that affects younger people. The researchers next plan to examine the co-ordinated actions of the ghrelin and glucagon systems in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes - the form caused by lifestyle factors like obesity. They also want to study the impact of ghrelin on hypoglycaemia. Dr Zigman said: "A potential side effect with any treatment that lowers blood sugar is hypoglycaemia may develop. "We would like to determine whether the administration of ghrelin or a compound that mimics the action of ghrelin could help correct that hypoglycaemia." Blood glucose is tightly regulated by the opposing actions of insulin and glucagon. Earlier studies led by the university's Dr Roger Unger demonstrated destroying glucagon receptors can prevent or correct dangerously high amounts of the sugar.

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